Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3 i Windows 10 The Complete Manual

Checking for Updates If you think that your PC needs to be updated, you don’t need to wait for the automatic update process to kick in. You can quite easily check for updates yourself. 1 You can find the Windows 10 update information in the main settings app. Tap the Windows key or click the Start menu button and then select the Settings icon from the side of the menu. Click the “Updates & Security” heading in the menu to open the relevant settings screen. 2 At the top of the window you should immediately see a message telling you whether Windows 10 is up-to-date or if updates are currently available. Directly below this message is a button labelled “Check for updates”. Even if the message says up-to-date, it is…

Set Up and Configure Your Account Microsoft prefers its users to have a single main account. Here we show you how to create one as well as look at any other further settings you might need. 1 You can sign up for an account when you install or initialise Windows 10 for the first time but you can also create one at www.account.microsoft. com. This is also where you can customise your account settings, which we’ll come onto shortly. 2 Even if you think you don’t have a Microsoft account, it’s quite possible that you do have one. Ever had a Hotmail or Outlook.com address, or did you use MSN or Windows Live Messenger? You can sign in with those same credentials. 3 In addition to Windows and Outlook.com, you…

Windows 10 Child Account With a Windows 10 child account you’re able to set up age restrictions and time limits and ensure they’re not visiting sites or using apps they shouldn’t. 1 Start off by clicking the Windows Start button and typing ‘account’. The first result that should appear is Manage your account, if anything else appears, as in you have some work labelled ‘account’ or such, then scroll down until you find the Manage your account option. 2 You’ll now find yourself at the Windows 10 Settings page, in the Accounts section portal. Notice there are links down the left-hand side, look for the Family & People link and click it to continue with the process. 3 You’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account for this to…

Scheduling New Tasks The Task Scheduler can be a very powerful tool for increasing automation in Windows 10. Let’s take a quick look at exactly how to use the Windows 10 Task Scheduler in normal day-to-day PC operation. 1 Search for “Task Scheduler” in the Cortana search pane or navigate to it in Start menu > All Apps > Windows Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler. The simple scheduler window will now open. This is split into three sections: Scheduler Library, Scheduler Summary and Actions. 2 You have three main options for adding new tasks to the schedule: Create Basic Task, Create Task and Import Task. For now we will stick to creating a Basic Task. You can start the process by clicking in the Action panel or using the Action…

What’s New in File Explorer File Explorer is an often undervalued part of Windows and while it hasn’t really changed for several versions of the OS, Windows 10 introduces some enhancements, which we’ll take you through here. 1 The way you browse files in Windows 10 is broadly similar to previous versions of Windows, but File Explorer has been enhanced. The main Quick Access window shows you your most frequently used folders (after all, how many of us dip into more than five or ten folders in a day?) and also recent files. 2 The sidebar also works on the same principle and via a new Quick Access feature you can pin folders or files that you want to stick around. It will also show you Frequent folders too. You…

Change Where Apps are Installed Not every user realises that apps can be installed on the hard drive of their choice, not just the one pre-selected by the Windows 10 OS. Knowing this is useful for general Windows 10 maintenance. 1 By default, apps you install will be saved to the main partition of the hard drive (usually the C drive). However, you can choose to save them to any other connected drive, both internal and even removable external hard drives (including USB flash drives). 2 In the newer versions of Windows 10, this is a reasonably easy thing to do. Open the main Settings and click on System. Here you will see a whole list of useful sections, but the one you need to open is the Storage section.…

Find and Manage Libraries Libraries are very useful tools, even if they have been slightly side lined in Windows 10. Let’s take a look at using your libraries effectively. Displaying the Libraries By default, Windows 10 doesn’t show the libraries in the sidebar of the File Explorer (or any other folder) as it used to in older versions. To reveal the library folders, open File Explorer and click the View tab and then Navigation Panel. You can then choose to show libraries. Reordering Files in Libraries Adding a folder in a library doesn’t actually change the storage location of the files or folders within it. The library simply gives you a quick way to reach those files. To reorder folders, select a library and then right-click on it. Select Properties…

Manage Your Network Settings We’ll show you how to master your Wi-Fi settings and explain what you need to do if you have a problem connecting to the Internet in Windows 10. Your Settings Network and Internet is one of the key sections within the new Windows 10 Settings app. It features a plethora of settings for the different ways to connect to the Internet. While the Wi-Fi screen is fairly straightforward, there are different settings windows for Ethernet connections and even dial-up. Wi-Fi Sense We don’t mind ourselves but some people are worried about the security implications of sharing network settings; or simply don’t want to automatically connect to networks shared by others. You can disable it by visiting the right settings; just click Manage Wi-Fi Settings from the…

Browser Controls Up in the top left corner, where you would probably expect to find them, are the browser controls. These include the button to add a new tab, the Page refresh button and the Page forward/Page back buttons. Right-click on the main tab and you will see additional options, including Re-open Closed Tab. Search Bar There’s no need to go to a website to search for pictures of adorable penguins or cute kittens. Stay put and save time by entering your search in the handy address bar. You’ll get search suggestions, instant results from the web and your browsing history on the spot. News Feed The main Home screen of Microsoft Edge is your News Feed. The news feed is provided by MSN and is made up of news…

Wi-Fi, Lock and Key A lot of the standard tips on protecting your Wi-Fi merge with those of protecting your wired network. It’s common sense mostly and keeping an eye on what’s going on in your own network. 1 All routers come with a generic username and password. Depending on the model and manufacturer of the router, it’s surprisingly easy to get hold of the username and password. For example, view www.routerpasswords.com and choose your router. With that being the case, change the administrator username and its password. 2 ISP supplied routers tend to have their own set of usernames and passwords. Although these are more secure than that of the default set, they are still obtainable from the more dubious quarter of the Internet. A potential hacker will easily…

The Privacy Dashboard The privacy dashboard is web-based rather than in the settings and it allows you to manage multiple devices from a single interface, as long as you are logged in to a single account. 1 Open your browser and navigate to www.account.microsoft.com/privacy. If prompted, use your Microsoft account details to log in. You will be logged in to the privacy overview page that lets you quickly see what privacy settings the dashboard contains and controls. 2 Along with the main Search, Browsing and Location privacy categories, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you will see entries for everything from Apps to Xbox, with simple links to take you to the settings and options for those privacy areas. 3 Click on one of the main…

Virus & Threat Protection This is where to check and scan for viruses and other threats to your Windows 10 security. Here you will find tools for preventing viruses and other malware from ever taking hold of your computer, as well as the tools needed to check for anything which already got through your defences. Account Protection This is where you manage account and sign-in security for Windows 10. This includes the Microsoft account you are signed in to (or the option to sign in to one), Windows Hello and Dynamic lock. Clicking on any of the options here will simply take you to the relevant area of the main settings. Device Performance & Health Displays issues with the health and performance of your computer, including the status of the…

Enable PUP blocking PUP’s can include toolbars, browser extensions, adware and other unwanted software. In almost all cases, this software should be called DUPs (Definitely Unwanted Programs). 1 You can enable PUP protection with System Centre Config Manager, PowerShell or Microsoft Intune. For this guide, we’ll be using the PowerShell, as this is available within Windows 10 without installing any additional software; as long as you follow the instructions carefully, it isn’t as scary as it sounds. 2 To access the PowerShell interface, right-click the Start button or press Windows+X and click Windows PowerShell (Admin) to open a window. Type the following command at the prompt (without the quotation marks) “Set-MpPreference-PUPProtection 1” and press Enter. 3 The PUP blocker is now enabled on your PC. You will not see any…

Better Protection A third-party security suite offers much more than virus scanning. With one of these, you’re covered against most, if not all, digital threats. Here are ten security suites worth considering if you’re serious about your digital protection. Bitdefender Bitdefender Total Security is the latest security suite from one the world’s leading security specialists. This version offers unrivalled levels of protection and performance for Windows, macOS and Android platforms. There’s even an advanced ransomware protection element to help protect your folders. McAfee McAfee Total Protection offers a 100 per cent guarantee of virus removal, or you get your money back. There are three main versions available: Antivirus Plus, Total Protection and Livesafe; each has its own particular twist but all offer excellent security features and benefits. Symantec Norton Security…

Finding Free Software Free software doesn’t have to be difficult to find. Let’s take a look at some simple tips that will make finding the free software you need as easy, safe and as painless as possible. Go Direct If you know the name of the software you need, or even the company that makes it, it is often best to go straight to the source to download it. It is in the interest of the software company to make downloading their software as painless as possible and you can be sure that you will be getting the latest version, rather than finding a link to an older version that is still floating around the Internet. Software Libraries There are lots of massive general software libraries on the Internet, as…

1 Update Windows 10 and Drivers The first step along your path to a faster computer is making sure that the Windows OS and all of the various drivers installed are up to date. Simply updating drivers to the latest versions can have a noticeable effect on the overall loading speed of any PC and fortunately, this is very easy to do. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click “Check for updates”. Windows 10 will scan for available updates (to both the OS and drivers), before displaying all those available as a list. If no updates are available, it will say “Your device is up to date” and you can move on to the next tip. If updates are available, select those you want to download and…

Updated Storage Sense Storage Sense has been a part of Windows 10 for some time but it has been updated and added to in the Creators update. If you don’t see the options mentioned here, make sure your OS is up to date. 1 To enable Storage Sense on Windows 10, open Settings > System > Storage. Click on the Storage Sense toggle switch. Once you enable the option, Windows 10 will automatically delete junk files from your PC, including some temporary files and items in the recycle bin older than 30 days. 2 Storage Sense isn’t a manual storage wipe. If you need to clear out space right now, and you have large files in the recycle bin that aren’t 30 days old, you will need to delete them…

Manage Your PC Task Manager is a lot more complex than it used to be and it’s now a useful insight into your PC and app performance, allowing you to check anything from Wi-Fi usage to app crashes and much more. 1 Task Manager starts life as this fairly unassuming little window. If you have an app that is unresponsive, select it and click End Task. Beware that if you do this to an app with unsaved work in it, you will lose your work. Clicking the More Details button will expand the Task Manager window. 2 This window is a little more complex, but the ‘Apps’ part of the window is essentially what we were looking at in Step 1. Now the apps have been joined by background processes.…

Working with 10Apps Manager Adding software to remove other software may seem counterintuitive but this is a safer way to clean up bloatware than trying to remove it manually. 1 You can download the 10Apps Manager software from a variety of file download sites or you can get it directly from the creators at The Windows Club (www.thewindowsclub.com). It should be free wherever you download it from, so don’t be fooled into paying for this software. 2 Extract the contents of the downloaded 10Apps Manager zip file and place the folder in your Program Folder and pin the shortcut of its. exe file to your Start menu. Do not separate out the contents of the Program folder. You don’t need to install the software. 3 As when making any large…

First Things to Check If you’re having problems with Windows Update, the Windows Update Troubleshooter might be able to automatically fix the problem. Go to Microsoft.com and search for Update Troubleshooter. Windows Update Troubleshooter Microsoft knows that things don’t always go smoothly when updating and have provided a dedicated troubleshooting tool for use during this key task. If you’re having problems with Windows Update, the Windows Update Troubleshooter might be able to automatically fix the problem. Go to Microsoft.com and search for Update Troubleshooter. Check for Updates Keeping your copy of Windows 10 up-to-date with the latest releases can really help to avoid problems before they happen. Press the Windows logo key and click Settings. Then choose Update & security > Windows Update and then select Check forupdates. Installany available…

The Installation Media The first thing to consider is the installation media you want to use to install Windows. This can be either a shop bought install disc, a created disc or a prepared USB flash drive. 1 If you have an official Windows installation disc, you can skip this part and move on to the boot process. If you have an old copy of windows, it is usually possible to reuse that to install windows on your new PC, as long as it is not already registered on another PC, or is no longer being used on another PC, although this is a slightly more complicated process. 2 Increasingly, Windows is offered as a downloadable file rather than a physical disc. Just as with a disc, when buying a…

Keeping Up To Date While it’s easy to update Windows 10, there are elements that can be missed. We’ve already mentioned that it’s not only Windows that needs updating but also software and drivers. 1 The first port of call is undoubtedly Windows Update. Click on the Windows Start button followed by Settings, the cog icon just above the power icon on the strip to the side. This will open the Windows Settings interface, locate the last entry, Update & Security and click it. 2 By default Windows Update will automatically check for, download and install updates for the core Windows 10 files. You can check for any on the spot by clicking the Check for updates button; and you can see what’s already been updated by clicking the Update…

Account Security Tips Before we look at recovering a compromised account, or adding advanced security features, here are some basic security tips that everyone should use. Create a Strong Password It’s especially important to have a strong password if you use a Microsoft email address, like Outlook.com or Hotmail. This is because many services now use your email address to check your identity. Use a unique password and don’t pick something (like your D.O.B) which can be easily guessed. Beware of Phishing Emails Microsoft will never ask for your password in email, so never reply to any email asking for any personal information, even if it claims to be from Outlook.com or Microsoft. Google ‘how to spot a phishing email’ to find lots of useful advice on avoiding these potentially…

Change the Desktop Background The Desktop personalisation procedure hasn’t changed much since Windows 7, so if you’ve used that OS before this will feel very familiar. 1 You can get started with personalising the Windows 10 Desktop in exactly the same way as you did with Windows 7. For anyone completely new to Windows, that means right-clicking anywhere on the Desktop screen and selecting Personalise from the action menu that appears. 2 The Background settings will be displayed first by default. Click the first drop-down menu to select whether to use the default backgrounds, solid colours or choose to display folders of your own images. Your choices here changes what is displayed in the background settings. 3 To select your own pictures for the background, click on the Browse button…

Setting Up Dual Display Matching up the resolution and size of your two chosen monitors will give the best results but even mismatched monitors can work really well in dual format. 1 You will obviously need to ensure that your PC has the requisite connections for two monitors (two HDMI, VGA or DVI ports, or a combination of these). Check the back of your PC tower or the side of your laptop to find out. With your PC turned off, connect both monitors to the available ports. 2 Boot up the computer and log in. Windows should automatically detect that two displays are connected and you should see both of them displaying a desktop. Your main display will have all of your icons on it, whilst the new second display…

Creating New Folders It may sound too simple if you are a long time Windows user but here’s a look at how to create new folders on the desktop and within other folders. 1 On the desktop, right-click and select New folder from the action menu that appears. The familiar yellow folder icon will then appear at that position on the desktop (wherever you clicked), with the name automatically set as ‘New folder’ but highlighted ready to change. 2 You can leave the name as ‘New folder’ if you wish. If you then create a second folder next to the first, it will automatically be named ‘New folder (2)’. You can rename a folder at any time by left-clicking on the title once, or right-clicking and selecting Rename from the…

Clearing Space on Your PC It’s worth giving your machine a little spring clean every so often and that doesn’t just mean removing unwanted files and folders. Disk Clean-up should be an essential part of your PC maintenance. Clean Up Disk Clean-up is a utility included with every copy of Windows. When you launch it (here we’ve searched for it using the search box on the taskbar), you’ll get this small window appear. It will help you rid your PC of detritus that builds up over time as you download files from the Internet or install and uninstall apps. Which Drive? You’ll be asked to select the drive you want to clean up. Most of the time there’ll only be one drive you wish to clean up (your C: drive),…

Set Up AutoPlay You can configure the programs you want to have priority using the AutoPlay options in both the Settings app and Control Panel. Here’s how to set up and use the AutoPlay feature in the Windows 10 operating system. 1 In Settings click on Devices, then select AutoPlay from the bottom of the list. You can then choose the options you want for a variety of common options. Here we’ve got the cloud app Dropbox highlighted if we insert a memory card into our laptop. Our photos are automatically uploaded to our cloud storage. 2 However, the AutoPlay options within the Settings app aren’t exactly comprehensive, since they only deal with the most common AutoPlay options. For a more detailed configuration selection, you need to go to Control…

Browser Choice There are dozens of different browsers available, from the market leaders such as Chrome and Firefox, to more specialised offerings which focus on security or speed. Chrome Google Chrome is a freeware web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Windows and was later ported to most other platforms. As of September 2016, StatCounter estimates that Chrome has a 62 per cent worldwide usage share of desktop web browsers. Firefox Firefox, or Mozilla Firefox, has consistently been one of the fastest browsers around since its launch more than 10 years ago. Features include tabbed browsing, spell checking, incremental find, live book-marking, Smart Bookmarks, a download manager, private browsing and location aware browsing. Opera Opera is a web browser developed by Opera Software. The latest…

Get Started with Edge Edge is fast and fluid and we think you’ll like it. It may not have the capability of Chrome or Firefox as yet but for basic web browsing it’s almost perfect. 1 You can open the Edge browser by clicking the stylised ‘e’ in the taskbar or by selecting it in the main apps list in the Start menu. The default Start tab will be displayed when Edge opens. This shows you news stories from Microsoft News, tailored to your geographic location. 2 All of the main Edge controls run along the top bar. On the far left are the Back, Forwards, Refresh Page and Home buttons; just above these are the Set Aside and All Tabs buttons (more on those later). Clicking the + opens…

Safer Surfing Securing your web browser isn’t too difficult. There are plenty of options available, including some third-party add-ons you can use to improve things. For this tutorial, we’re using Chrome. 1 Start by opening Chrome and clicking on the three vertical dots in the top right of the browser window. This is the link to the available options; the list choose Settings. 2 It’s generally recommended that you sign into Chrome using a Google account, as this can greatly improve the overall security of the browser. For example, when you sign in, click on the Advanced Sync Settings button, found under the Sign In section of Settings, and the first option available. 3 With the Advanced Sync Settings box open, select the option for Encrypt all synced data with…

Viruses Viruses are bits of malicious code that hide within software, electronic files, etc., waiting to be unknowingly installed onto a PC. The aim of a virus is not always obvious, and not always the same. Some viruses are created and released by people who just want to see the world burn, those who like causing chaos and misery for their fellow man. Some are designed to create back doors into systems or steal information. In most cases, viruses are designed to do one thing: make your computer inoperable. Viruses are well named for their ability to spread themselves through a computer system, infecting multiple files, until they are unknowingly passed on by the infected user. Once spread through a system, they can be annoyingly difficult to get rid of.…

In Device performance & health, you’ll have the following features available: Health report Tells you if there are any issues impacting the device health, such as: storage capacity, devices, battery, or ability to update to the most recent version of Windows. It also provides recommendations to help resolve these issues. Windows Update Tells you whether you’re up to date with your version of Windows and if you aren’t, alerts you with details about specific issues that could be causing your device to not install updates. Storage capacity Checks if your device has enough space to update Windows and alerts you if there’s a recommended action. Device driver Checks the drivers on your device to see if they’re functioning properly and alerts you if there’s a recommended action. Battery life Checks…

Power Up The secret Power Menu enables the more advanced Windows 10 users among you to quickly access key settings that you probably commonly use, but are buried deeper within the system. Start it Up You open the Power Menu using the Start button, but instead of just clicking it to open the Start menu, right-click the button. You’ll see this menu appear. Note that you can also shut down or sign out here, too. This menu was created for users who felt the Windows 8 Start screen didn’t give them access to what they needed. Command We’ll look at the Command Prompt on the next page. You can access it from the Power Menu. If you’re an administrator on your PC, you can start what’s called an Elevated Command…

Free Free means completely free at point of download and that all features of the software are available to use without upgrading or purchasing subscriptions. Free software can have adverts within it, but nothing that pops up or forces you to read or click before letting you use it. It could be argued that no software is completely free in our modern world, due to the fact that even entering your name, email and other basic details to log in could be valuable to the developer; data about users is very valuable these days. Freemium The freemium business model is not a completely new idea but it is certainly much more widely used nowadays than it has been previously. Freemium means that software is given away for free at point…

The Disk Management Tool There are several free programs available for creating partitions but the Disk Management tool is just as good and built right in to Windows 10. 1 The first thing you need to do is find the Disk Management tool. The easiest way to open the tool is to use the hidden Start button menu. Right-click on the Start menu button and select Disk Management from the menu that appears. There are several system tools here, so it is a useful trick to know. 2 The Disk Management tool shows all of your internal and removable drives (even USB flash drives, etc.) along with details of the capacity and current amount of space being used. Depending how your hard drive was initially configured, you will see one…

Maintaining Windows 10 Windows 10 is a lot better at keeping you informed of problems than previous versions were. It is, however, up to you to keep on top on maintaining the OS if you want the best experience. Storage Sense Activating Storage Sense lets the system software automatically free up storage space by getting rid of files you no longer need. These can include temporary files such as cookies and the contents of your Recycle Bin. You can choose when files are deleted, e.g. after 30 days in the Recycle Bin or if apps don’t use them for a certain amount of time. Alternatively you can simply click a button to Clean Now rather than setting automatic cleaning. You can find the Storage Sense option in Settings > System…

Installing the SDRAM The RAM modules you will be fitting are quite robust but even so, they should be handled with care, and without ever touching the metal contacts along the bottom. 1 How you fit the memory into the motherboard sockets depends on how many matched modules you are installing. A single 8GB module will almost always go into socket 1 (unless otherwise advised in your motherboard instruction manual) but if you have multiple modules and multiple sockets, the choice is not always so obvious. 2 If your motherboard supports multiple memory channels and has more than two sockets, it is worth considering buying, two 4GB matched modules, rather than a single 8GB module. Although the single 8GB might be more efficient (assuming identical latency range, etc.) two 4GB…

Fresh or Reset? Refreshing and resetting your Windows 10 PC are two very different things and you should always make sure you know which is the best choice to solve your current problem. 1 If your PC isn’t performing as well as it once did, and you don’t know why, you can reset your PC without deleting any of your personal files or changing your settings. Apps or software not installed through the Store will be removed but Windows store apps will be reinstalled. 2 Open the main Settings app and head in to the Update & Security section. Click on Recovery and you will see several options, including Reset this PC. If you can’t get into settings, you can access reset by restarting your computer while holding the Shift…

Creating a Reset Disc A password reset disc allows you, as the name suggests, to reset the forgotten password by inserting the disc or USB stick during the boot sequence. 1 Insert a disc or USB flash drive into your PC. It is unlikely that your computer has a floppy drive but you can buy USB sticks very cheaply these days and you only need a small amount of storage space on it, as the password reset file is only a few KB. 2 In the search box, type “password reset”. As you type the password reset creation tool should appear at the top of the results. You will also see settings for changing passwords and for choosing whether a password is requested when you wake up your computer. 3…

Creating the Recovery Drive Creating a recovery drive is a relatively simple process, although it takes a bit of time, but one which could save a lot of frustration in the future. 1 The first thing you need to do is find a USB drive that is large enough and then make sure it is ready to be used. The USB drive you decide to use won’t be able to be used for anything else like storing other files, etc. so make sure it is a spare, or bought specifically for the task. 2 A basic Windows 10 recovery file will be less than 500MB but if you choose to include system files in the backup (recommended), so you can use it to reinstall Windows, you will need much more…

The Various Ways You can Log into Windows 10 Whether you use a password, PIN, picture password or fingerprint to log into Windows 10 we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at the different ways available to sign in to Windows 10, from the least to the most secure. What You See When you start-up Windows 10, you’ll see the lock screen. If you used Windows 8, it’s something you’ll be familiar with. You can get other information displayed here including network and battery life information, and you can change what appears in Settings > Personalisation > Lock Screen. Log into Windows As soon as you click any key or tap on the lock screen you’ll get this – the Windows logon screen. You can use your password, fingerprint…

Set Up Windows Tweaker The Ultimate Windows Tweaker (UWT) software is not available as an app, so you will need to download the file from http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-4-windows-10. 1 Once you have downloaded the zip file, extract its contents and move the program folder to your desired location. Pin its executable file to your Start menu for easy access. Do not separate out the contents of the download as it is important that the contents stay in the same folder. 2 As when making any large system changes to your computer, you should create a system restore point first. You can use the Create Restore Point button that UWT offers. The software prompts you to create one, before using the tweaks, so that you can revert back should you feel the need…

Default Programs and Protocols The ability to change the default apps and programs that Windows 10 uses goes a long way to helping you take full control of your PC and the system software. 1 Click on the search bar on the left of the taskbar and type “default programs”. You can also navigate to this settings tool by opening the All Apps list, scrolling down to W and clicking Windows System > Default Programs. Either way, open the tool on screen. 2 A list of apps already associated with various functions will appear. Click on any of these to see alternative options. The options shown will vary depending on the apps you have installed at this time. If a function has no apps associated with it, you can click…

Using File History To back up using File History, you will need a secondary storage drive. This can be an internal or network-connected hard drive or a removable flash drive. We are using a flash drive. 1 The first thing to do is to make sure that your storage drive has enough free space on it. If it is brand new, you don’t need to worry about this step but if the drive has been used previously, you should check. Insert the drive into a USB port and open File Explorer. 2 You should see the drive listed with a drive letter, for example: USB Drive (F:). Right-click on the drive name and select Properties from the menu that appears. You can now see how much space is remaining on…

Checking Memory and Memory Usage The first thing you need to do, when trying to optimise RAM usage and performance, is check how much you have and how it’s being used. 1 To check up on your RAM, you need to open the Task Manager: press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on the keyboard and then select “Task Manager” from the list that appears. If Task Manager opens showing just a simple list of tasks, click the “More details” button to see an advanced view. 2 Click the Performance tab at the top and then the Memory tab on the left side. You can now check the graph to see how much RAM is being used and see how much you have in total. Try launching a few apps while…

Set Your Tethered Connection to Metered Windows 10 can be quite data-heavy, as mentioned, especially if an update happens to become available when tethered. Luckily, you can tell Windows to automatically limit data use. 1 Cellular data connections are set as metered by default. Wi-Fi and Ethernet network connections can be set to metered but aren’t by default. Some apps might work differently on a metered connection to help reduce your data usage. Some updates for Windows won’t be installed automatically either. 2 To set a Wi-Fi network connection as metered, click Start > Settings > Network& Internet> Wi-Fi > Manage known networks. Select the Wi-Fi network > Properties > turn on Set as metered connection. Unfortunately, many Windows apps completely ignore the metered connection setting. Check Network Usage Details…

Create a Safer Facebook Profile The dangers of social media aren’t just for young people, many adults have been duped into befriending someone they don’t know and exposing their personal information. 1 Facebook’s policy forbids the use of fake names but it does allow nick names to be used. Where possible, use your nickname instead of your real name. This will effectively hide your real name details from those who would wish to exploit it. 2 Set up two-factor authentication, alerts about unrecognised logins and make sure that emails from Facebook are encrypted. These can all be found in the Settings > Security and Login section. These three security tools will instantly make Facebook more secure. 3 Go to Settings > Privacy and make sure that the Who can see…

1 Make Sure Wi-Fi is On If you are trying to connect wirelessly, check that Wi-Fi hasn’t somehow been switched off: click the Start button, select Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Next, select “Show available networks” and if your network appears in the list, select it, then select Connect. If using a laptop, make sure the physical Wi-Fi switch (if there is one) is turned on. An indicator light usually shows when it’s on or off. Again, if using a laptop (or Windows 10 tablet), check to see that Airplane mode is turned off: select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Airplane mode and if it’s on, turn it off. 2 Restart Your Modem and/or Wireless Router If you’ve never experienced network problems…

Do I need an antivirus program? Without a doubt, yes. Windows 10 uses the built-in Windows Defender program to help protect you online. It’s more than ample for most users but often better security is required. Viruses and malware are only on dodgy sites, right? No, sorry. Even legitimate websites can be infected with a virus or some other form of malware. Remember too, a computer virus can enter your system in ways other than just going online. Is online banking safe? Online banking is remarkably safe and utilises the latest and continually evolving security encryption technologies. There’s military grade security at every level of the online process, and it’s highly unlikely to be hacked. Are hackers after me? Whilst it’s true that most hackers aren’t interested in the average…

Getting to Know Your Firewall Generally, there’s little need to ever configure the Windows 10 firewall. However, getting to know how it works and improving it is part of being more security-conscious. Here’s some tips on how to manage it better. 1 You can open the main Windows 10 firewall console window by clicking on the Windows Start button and entering firewall into the search box. Click the returned link, Windows Firewall Control Panel, to launch it. 2 The Windows 10 firewall console window starts by detailing the basic status of the firewall. It should be On by default, unless you’ve installed a third-party security suite which contains its own firewall. There are two kinds of network listed, Private and Public. Private is for home or work, whereas Public is…

Setting Up Dynamic Lock Dynamic Lock works by sensing the proximity of a paired device, such as a smartphone. In this example, the first thing we need to do is pair with our phone. Using other Bluetooth devices will be almost exactly the same. 1 Dynamic Lock will only work if your PC has Bluetooth connectivity. This usually means a laptop, which makes sense as these more portable devices are more in need of security measures. Open Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & Other devices. Turn Bluetooth on using the slider switch and do this on your phone as well. 2 Once you see the phone listed under available devices, select it and pair to it. If you can’t see your device listed, you may need to update your USB…

Install and Manage Fonts To install and manage your fonts through the Settings, you will need to have the April/Spring update installed and up to date. In older versions of Windows 10, you will need to dig deeper. 1 You can now find the fonts controls in Settings > Personalisation > Fonts. Here you will see a scrollable list of your current fonts, each with a visual example of how they look. This is a much more user-friendly way of viewing your fonts, letting you see exactly what each will look like when used. 2 You can search for fonts using the search field at the top or just look through the alphabetical list. You can also filter the list by language. Each font is shown with the number of…

Processes Tab The Processes tab is the default tab when the Task Manager is opened. You can open the task manager by simply searching for it in the main search panel. Just as with any other app or piece of software in Windows 10, you can pin a shortcut to the Task Manager, to the taskbar or as a desktop icon. Process List With the Processes tab selected, a list of all processes is shown. Processes are bits of software that run in the background, either running or waiting to run when a corresponding action is taken. As you can see from the list here, things like Cortana and AVG are shown; these you would obviously want to leave. Resource Usage If you find your PC becoming slow and sluggish…

Hard Drive Health While hard disk drives provide cheap, fast and reliable bulk storage for digital data, they do suffer from one major problem. Using protocols that date back to the days when computer data was stored on big reels of magnetic tape, data is written onto the hard drive sequentially, so that it’s faster to read off again. This is fine at first since the data is stored in neat blocks or sectors that it’s easy for the system to find. A brand new hard drive will use its storage space efficiently for optimum performance, saving files in a neat orderly sequence. However over time you’ll inevitably delete some files, or replace others with larger ones, and the hard drive tries to cope with these changes by splitting data…

Virtual Private Network Using a VPN can help hide your online presence. Whilst this may seem like an ideal way to get to illegal content, it’s actually designed to help fight for your basic right to Internet and digital privacy. Essentially, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a server or group of servers in a remote location that you can connect to through a client. The VPN servers then hide your Internet-bound IP address with their own, so if you connected to a VPN that’s located in Australia then your IP address would be as if you were actually sat at a desktop down under. The benefits of this are many but mainly a VPN will allow you to access region restricted websites, protect you from tracking and shield your…

How to Use Advanced Start-up Options Modern computers are complicated things and there’s a lot that can go wrong. If your PC really isn’t working correctly or seems slow, these helpful options will help you get it back on track. 1 You may be taken to the Advanced Start-up Options menu. It will appear automatically if you have two consecutive start-up errors on your PC. But you can get to it manually from inside Windows 10 by going to the Settings app > Update & Security, clicking on Recovery and selecting Restart Now underneath Advanced Start-up. 2 If your PC didn’t start correctly, you’ll see this screen. It gives you the option of restarting and trying again, or clicking on Advanced Options. We’re going to run you through what happens…