Innehållsförteckning för Issue 4 från Windows 10 The Complete Manual

Get to Grips with Start Microsoft has completely redesigned the Start menu for a new era and it seems to be improved with every update to the OS, so it takes a little getting used to at first. Here’s our tour of the new Start. 1 You open the Start menu by clicking the Windows icon in the bottom left of the desktop or by pressing the Windows Key on your keyboard. The menu in Windows 10 is a mix of the Windows 7 and 8 styles but works better than either, with a list of apps on the left and Live Tiles on the right. 2 The live tiles work in the same way as they did in Windows 8. You can drag any of them around the menu should you…

Viewing Notifications Viewing your notifications is very straightforward, as they are all grouped together within the Action Center. You can see when you have new notifications by the numbered badge that appears. 1 Some notifications pop up in a small window in the bottom right corner of the screen as they arrive, others will simply arrive in the Action Center and display a badge on the Action Center button, again at the bottom right of the screen. To see your active notifications, click the Action Center button. 2 Notifications are displayed under relevant headings and will be grouped together accordingly. So if you have two different Calendar app notifications, find them grouped together under a calendar heading. Notifications that pop up a window will vanish after a few seconds if you ignore…

What’s New in File Explorer? File Explorer is a much undervalued part of Windows. And while it hasn’t fundamentally changed for several versions of the operating system, Windows 10 introduces some interesting 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…

Meet Your New Email Client Mail has been completely redesigned for Windows 10 and is wholly unrecognisable from the Windows 8 equivalent (that’s a good thing). But even with these improvements, it still needs a bit of tweaking before it comes into its own. Welcome As it says here, the idea behind the Mail app in Windows 10 is to gather all your emails together in one place to “simplify life a bit”. The app is quite clever in how it handles email and it certainly differs to older apps such as Windows Live Mail and Outlook Express. Default Account If you signed into Windows 10 with a Microsoft account, the Mail app will automatically pull this in if it’s enabled for email. As you can see, you can also…

Set Up the Your Phone App We have used a Galaxy S10 here, but the setup steps for connecting a mobile device to Windows 10 are almost exactly the same for both iOS and Android devices. 1 Open the Settings and look for the “Phone” option. Click the link and then click the “Add a phone” button on the next screen. The Your Phone app then opens in a new window. You can also get to the app directly from the link at the bottom of the apps list in the Start menu. 2 In the right-hand sidebar, click on the type of phone you have (Android or iPhone) and then click “Continue”; another window opens, showing your Microsoft account. To link your phone to your PC, you need to enter your…

Take a Look Around The great thing about the new Windows Store is that the quality of the apps has improved, so it’s actually worth browsing. But aside from better apps, the whole experience of looking for new software has been improved in Windows 10. 1 As well as being more responsive to use, the Windows Store has improved vastly in terms of content – as well as apps and games there are now movies to buy or rent and music to download. You can switch between the major sections using the buttons at the top of the window. 2 Clicking on one of these main sections – here we’ve clicked on Apps – takes you to a Browse screen where you’re presented with the latest apps as well as those that…

Moving Around in Maps There are few controls in the Maps app but they allow you to do a lot of things very easily. Let’s take a look at how you move around in the app. 1 The easiest way to move the map around is to left-click and drag it and use the mouse wheel or trackpad slider to zoom in and out. This allows you to move the map around to focus on the area you need. If you are zoomed far out of the map, double-clicking the mouse zooms in quickly. 2 Maps has a dedicated control panel on the side of the window containing, from top to bottom: Rotate, hold pointer on it to see; Tilt, hold pointer over to see options; Show Location; Map Views/Layer; and Zoom…

A New Way to Copy + Paste The Cloud Clipboard gives you a new way to cut and paste. Simply press the Windows key + V at any time and you’ll see the Cloud Clipboard panel appear in the bottom corner of the screen. 1 Before you can use all the features of the Cloud Clipboard in Windows 10, you will need to enable them in the settings. Go to Settings > System and look for the Clipboard section. You can turn on the clipboard history using the slider toggle. To sync across devices, click ‘Get started’. 2 Follow the instructions to confirm your Microsoft account (if this is requested) and then choose whether you want to enable automatic syncing across devices or not. If you want to be able to sync…

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 Panel >…

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 ‘Look for…

Setting Up a 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 will…

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…

Blocking Notifications Choose which notifications you want to see and hear. The remainder of your alerts will go into the Action Center so you can see them at a more convenient time. 1 You can easily activate Focus Assist using the quick actions panel in the Action Center. The default setting is Off. Click the Quick action button once to allow priority notifications only, click it a second time to allow alarms only. Click the button a third time to turn Focus Assist off again. 2 You can also turn Focus Assist on or off in the main settings (settings > system > focus assist). Once there, you can also set up your automatic rules and customise your priority list. You can set automatic rules based on times, when you are duplicating…

Windows 10, Under Lock and Key We’re going to encrypt a 2GB USB flash in this example, purely for ease of use and to demonstrate how you can encrypt your entire laptop hard drive(s). 1 Encryption doesn’t affect the core data, other than making it impossible to read without the decryption key. Still, it’s always worth making sure you have a backup of all your data prior to any system related changes. If you store your work or data in the Documents folder, then start by opening it in Windows Explorer. 2 Press Ctrl+A to highlight all the files, then press Ctrl+C to copy them to the clipboard. Next, choose a suitable backup location – such as an external or network drive – and when ready, press Ctrl+V to paste the copied…

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 PUPs 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 new options…

Security Beyond Anonymity It’s a good question: how can a VPN improve Windows security? While the privacy side is well catered for, there are some good security enhancements and features a VPN brings to the table. Hide Browsing Activity This doesn’t happen often, but an ISP can become compromised and details of user activities leaked or stolen. Using a VPN can hide your browsing activity from trackers and even your ISP, enabling you to browse without the fear of having your details leaked or accessed by others. Anti-malware Protection Many VPN providers utilise a level of antimalware into their security layers. This enhances your security by filtering any downloads through the VPN first. Should there be a virus present, then it can be removed or stopped at the VPN before…

Start-up Tab The Start-up tab contains a list of all the apps, programs and processes that are enabled every time you start your computer. If your computer is brand new, this list should be fairly small and filled with essential items. But as you install new apps and software, this start-up list can become bloated and slow down boot up. You can disable auto start-up here. 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…

Use a Flash Drive to Unlock Your PC If you care about your digital security, you probably have a PIN or password lock on your laptop or desktop PC, but there is another way to lock and unlock your computer: Using a USB flash drive. Software such as Predator allows you to create a key on your old USB drive which, when plugged into your computer, will automatically unlock it. When the “Key” is removed, the computer will lock again. There are several different USB lock software options available, and almost all of the best ones cost money (although usually not very much. Predator is just $10 for the home version). If you want to try out a freeware USB locker, you can search for “USB System Lock” and “WinLockr…

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…

Applying Changes You may not need to apply all of these tips to see an improvement in system speed, and it is actually a good idea to apply one at a time and test the results before trying the next. File Sharing Updates Windows 10 features an improved way to receive updates. More specifically, it allows you to get updates from sources other than Microsoft in a sort of file-sharing network. The catch is that your computer is also sharing files. Turn this off in Settings > Update & Security > Advanced options > Choose how updates are delivered. Unwanted Notifications Notifications are generally, but not always, a good thing. Windows 10 does a good job of letting you know what is going on with your PC but sometimes you…

TOUCHPAD SETTINGS Windows 10 contains some basic touchpad settings when used on a laptop but you may also need to get into the hardware settings for your particular laptop. You can usually find this in the taskbar menu. If not, use the universal search to find “Touch Pad Settings” and click on “Additional Settings”. Select Item Tap the touch pad with one finger when over the item you want to select. You can also tap twice to select items that need a double-click. Horizontal Scroll Place two fingers on the touchpad and slide horizontally. This gesture will work in any app that allows horizontal scrolling, such as the Internet browser. Vertical Scroll Place two fingers on the touchpad and slide vertically. This gesture is useful for scrolling down through web…

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 for updates. Install…

Here Be Dragons This isn’t a definitive list of the possible threats available for the Windows user but here are ten modern risks that you face every time you power up your PC. 01 Viruses Viruses have been around for as long as computers. They’ve moved on from simply displaying the name of the coder on the monitor, a kind of virtual vandalism, and now can disable and wipe the data off a hard drive in mere seconds. 02 Ransomware Earlier in the year the UK was gripped in the clutches of the WannaCry ransomware infection. This particular infection exploited a vulnerability in Windows, and quickly spread throughout the NHS and other organisations, locking and encrypting the data on a computer until money was sent to those who unleashed it…

Ransomware is a particularly nasty form of malware and digital threat. There’s usually some kind of ransomware headlining in the news around the world and those who are the victims are often at a loss as to what to do next. Essentially, ransomware will infect an individual computer and one of two things can happen: first, it locks the computer, stopping all access to it from the keyboard, then it starts to search for data and encrypt the contents of the hard drive. Lastly it infects the boot sector of the computer and displays a message detailing the type of ransomware and how the individual will pay for the release of the data; the message can even have fake FBI warnings included with it. Alternatively, and the second thing that…

Snapping Windows It is very easy to have several windows open after just a few minutes of working on your PC and it is equally easy to lose track of them. Snapping windows helps prevent that. 1 To snap any open window or app to the side of the screen, left-click on the title bar at the top of it and drag it over to either the far left or right of the screen. Your mouse cursor will need to reach the edge, not just the side of the window, for this to work properly. 2 As the cursor reaches the edge of the screen, a transparent outline will appear with a small flash, to show where the window will appear once snapped. Release the mouse button and the window will snap…

Get Started with Edge Chromium Edge Chromium feels much less clunky than the previous version and already feels more like the most popular browsers available, such as Chrome or Firefox. 1 If you haven’t already updated to Edge Chromium, you can download it from www.microsoft.com/edge. Once downloaded, click on the download to install it. The new version automatically overwrites the old version of Edge, completely replacing it on your computer. 2 During setup, you have the option to import browser data such as bookmarks and favourites from Google Chrome, choose the initial start page layout, and set up syncing across devices (other computers, your phone, etc.) Once installed, Edge opens at the start page. 3 Depending on the layout you chose during setup, the start page will either display a news feed or…

Netflix Netflix is the world’s leading subscription service for watching TV episodes and movies. Netflix membership gives you access to unlimited TV programmes and films for one low monthly price. - With the Netflix app, you can instantly watch as many TV episodes and films as you want, as often as you want, any time you want. Pinterest Looking for creative ideas? Whether you’re planning your next big travel adventure, searching for home design concepts, or looking for fashion & fitness tips; check out new recipes, or explore lifestyle inspiration, on Pinterest. Discover billions of possibilities for every part of your life, from new recipes to creative home design ideas. File Viewer Plus Are you tired of cluttering your PC with dozens of apps? The free version of File Viewer…

Taking Screenshots with Snip & Sketch There are many reasons why you might need to capture an image of your screen, but whatever the reason, the new snipping tool allows you to do exactly that, and much more. 1 There are a couple of different ways to open the Snip & Sketch tool but there’s no dedicated keyboard shortcut at this time. You can open the app by clicking on it in the Start menu apps list, by searching for it in the search box or by clicking the Screen snip button in the Quick Actions panel. 2 If you open the tool using either of the first two methods, it will open as a blank window with a variety of buttons along the top for editing or writing on captured images.…

Clearing Windows Update Cache It’s often necessary to clear the update cache – all the files that Windows has downloaded in order to apply the update – and start re-downloading afresh. 1 Begin by clicking on the Windows Start button and typing ‘services’. Click on the Services (Desktop App) link in the search results. This will launch the Services Management Console. Scroll down until you come to Windows Update. This is the service that controls the entire Windows Update process. 2 Click the entry and then click on Stop the service, located in the upper left of the Services console window. Keep the Services console window open, click on the File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\ SoftwareDistribution\Download. Highlight all the files and folders within this directory, use CTRL+A to select all and…

Keeping Up To Date Whilst 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 history link,…

Use Shake Gestures Windows 10 has a handy shake gesture that allows you to clear your screen clutter in no time. If you have a lot of windows open and you want to focus on one in particular, just grab the title bar of that window with your mouse pointer, then shake back and forth to minimize all other windows. If you want to bring the other windows back, just shake the first window again and all will be right back to normal. Disable Scrollable Background Apps A simple, but useful, feature, which has been missing from Windows for some time now, is the ability to scroll in background apps without bringing them to the front. This feature, especially useful whilst multitasking, has been available in OS X for a…

The word encryption comes from the ancient Greek word Kryptos, which means hidden or secret. Interestingly, the practise of hiding messages from others can be traced back to early Egyptian scribes who inserted non-standard hieroglyphs within other communications in order to hide the message from casual viewers. According to historians, the Spartans used strips of leather engraved with messages. When the strips were read, they were meaningless, but when wrapped around a staff of a certain diameter, the characters would be decipherable. Of course, the modern forms of encryption are far more advanced, but the overall core concept has remained the same: to be able to send a message to others without anyone else being able to decipher it. However, modern encryption now requires more than merely sending coded messages.…

What Makes Public Wi-Fi Unsafe? The very same features that make publicly accessible Wi-Fi hotspots desirable for you and us, such as the lack of authentication needed to connect, also makes them desirable for hackers. Let us start by saying that not all public Wi-Fi is equally unsafe. A coffee shop that has a new Wi-Fi password chalked up on the board every day is probably safer to use than one where the password has been the same for five years, but not by much. As a rule of thumb, you should assume that any network connection you do not control will have fewer defences against interception and should be treated as unsafe. Hackers are able to insert themselves (virtually) between your device and the network connection point, so all…

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 the impact of the brightness level and sleep settings on the…

Setting Up Dynamic Lock Dynamic Lock works by sensing the proximity of a paired device, such as the smartphone you have in your pocket. In this example, the first thing we need to do is pair with our phone. Pairing with other Bluetooth devices will be almost exactly the same as shown here. 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,…

Malware Busters For this tutorial let’s use a preconfigured rescue disk from Bitdefender. You need to transfer or burn the disk contents to a CD or a USB stick and boot into the safe environment through one of those mediums. 1 Make sure you have a blank CD or a USB stick that’s at least 1GB in size. The Bitdefender Rescue Disk is downloaded as an ISO, which is an image file containing all the disk information, and can be downloaded from www.download.bitdefender.com/rescue_cd/latest/bitdefender-rescue-cd.iso. 2 To transfer the ISO to USB, download Stickifier, which is an executable that doesn’t require any installation. Insert your USB stick and double-click Stickifier. Click the Select an Existing ISO Image option followed by the three full-stops and using Windows Explorer, locate the downloaded Bitdefender Rescue ISO. Click…

Protecting Your PC and Files Creating a recovery drive is a relatively simple process. It does however take a bit of time to create but it’s worth the effort as it could save you 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…

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.…

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 of 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…

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…

Checking Memory and Memory Usage When trying to optimise RAM usage and performance in your computer, the very first thing you need to do is use the Task and Resource Managers to check how much you have and how it is 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 a more advanced view. 2 Click the Performance tab at the top and then the Memory tab on the left side. You can now see how much you have in total and then check the graph…

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…

Basic Hotkeys Ctrl+C : Copy the selected item Ctrl+X : Cut the selected item Ctrl+V : Paste the selected item Ctrl+Z : Undo an action Alt+Tab : Switch between open apps Alt+F4 : Close an active item, or exit an app Windows key + L : Lock your PC or switch accounts Windows key + D : Display and hide the desktop Shift+Delete : Delete item without moving to Recycle Bin Snap Hotkeys Windows key + Up Arrow : Maximise current window Windows key + Down Arrow : Restores window size Windows key + Left Arrow : Snaps current window to the left Windows key + Right Arrow : Snaps current window to the right Windows key + 2 Arrow Keys : Snaps current window into one corner Typing Hotkeys…

Clearing Space on Your PC It’s worth giving your machine a little spring clean every so often to keep it lean. And that doesn’t just mean removing unwanted files and folders from the desktop. 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…

Being on the end of a successful hack has been likened to having your house robbed. There’s a feeling of invasion, that someone has rifled through your personal belongings and stolen what’s yours. “You’ve been hacked!” WARNING Monetary Motivation As with most hacks the world over, money is the driving force behind an attack. A hacker will want to enter your system through various means and obtain your bank or credit card details in order to get access to your money. It’s plain and simple theft. Personal Information Personal information can be extremely valuable to a hacker. Those who manage to obtain information about you, from date of birth, address, social security number and countless other trivial details, can then use your identity to open bank accounts, start a loan…

Just to give you an idea of what the future could hold for the computing world, here are the top ten most destructive viruses unleashed over the last decade into the digital domain. “Digital Destruction” 1 Storm Worm Storm Worm was released in 2007 and was rumoured to have hailed from Russia. It came in the form of an email link, usually with an important headline to grab the victim’s attention. When the victim clicks the link the code is inserted and payload with a backdoor into the system is opened. It infected over 10 million computers worldwide. 2 Conficker Conficker was a 2008 worm that infected an estimated 15 million Windows computers worldwide. The French Navy, UK Ministry of Defence, hospitals and local police forces were affected. It was…

So what exactly is pharming? In short, this is the criminal act of producing a fake website and redirecting the victims to it. The website could be anything from a reasonably popular online shopping store, to one of the well-known high street banks. The victim, unaware that the web site is fake, as the front end apes the real thing, even down to the small print at the bottom of the page, will login with their details. After the user has logged in several options are available to the ‘pharmer’. They can collect the username and login details and simply leave the victim with a blank web page; this is usually a method used by an amateur pharmer or those who want a quick username and password grab before disappearing…

Understanding Security Trying to understand the digital security world can be hard work. There’s so much to take in, that it’s easy to become lost in the quagmire of acronyms and homophones. Hopefully we can help you out with these ten FAQs. “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 other ways, not just online. “Is online banking safe?” Online banking is remarkably safe and utilises…

All Apps List As you use Windows 10 and the various apps and software, a list of your most used tools will appear here. This is constantly updated as your use of the OS evolves. At the top of the All Apps list is a Recently Added section, showing newly installed software and a Most Used section showing your favourite applications. Click either heading to open a jump to letter menu. Start Menu Folders If you pin apps to the Start menu, their icons will appear below the block of tiles. You can now move these app icons into folders within the Start menu. To do this, click and drag one icon on top of another. If the bottom icon expands slightly rather than moving out of the way, drop…

Mastering the Windows 10 Taskbar There are a lot more features and functions of the taskbar than may first meet the eye. Let’s take a look at how you can discover and master them. Start Menu Button Clicking this, as you will no doubt know by now, opens the Start menu. This is where you find all of the apps and software on your computer listed, along with Live Tiles and system folders. Right-clicking on the Start menu button opens a different menu, containing links to system tools like Task Manager. Search Box The Search box is integrated into the taskbar in Windows 10, so it is always visible and available. Just click anywhere in the search box to begin using it. If you prefer, you can hide the search…

New Desktop Just as with the old version of Task View, there is a button to add extra virtual desktops. Virtual desktops are essentially extra workspaces, so for example you can have one space with your email and chat windows open, and another where you’re working on a PowerPoint presentation without email distraction. Task View Timeline introduces a new way to resume past activities you started on the current PC, other Windows PCs, and even iOS/Android devices. The feature enhances Task View, allowing you to switch between currently running apps and past activities. The default view of Timeline shows snapshots of the most relevant activities from earlier in the day or a specific past date. Earlier Today The Earlier Today panel shows the latest activities on your Windows 10 PC.…

Managing Your Images The Photos app has seen some useful improvements over the last few years and is actually very powerful now. It doesn’t offer the flexibility of an app like Photoshop Elements, but it does a lot of simple edits very well. 1 Photos shows all of your images in a scrolling timeline of images, like we’re now used to seeing on many smartphones or tablets. This is called your photos Collection. You can click on any image to get a full-window view and then click the Back arrow in the top left corner to return to the main list. 2 Albums is a completely automated feature. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you may have seen Apple’s Moments feature; this works in much the same way. Albums gathers together…

Find and Manage Libraries Libraries are very useful tools for finding and organising files, even if they have been slightly sidelined 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 libraties. 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…

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 preselected 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. This will…

Install a Local Printer A local printer simply means one that is physically connected to your laptop or desktop computer via a USB data cable, rather than being connected wirelessly. 1 In most cases, all you have to do to set up a printer is to connect it to your PC and let the plug and play software do its work. Plug the USB cable from your printer into an available USB port on your PC and turn the printer on. If nothing happens, try restarting your PC with the printer connected. 2 If the printer does not set up automatically, you will need to do it yourself. Click the Start menu button and head into Settings. Here you need to look for Devices and then Printers & Scanners. You should see…

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 font faces…

Nearby Sharing Share your files quickly with Nearby Sharing: your computer automatically picks the fastest way to share your file or webpage, either over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. 1 To enable Nearby Sharing, open Settings and click on System. Now click on Shared experiences and turn on the Nearby Sharing toggle switch. If you have not yet applied the Windows 10 Spring/April update, you will need to do so before you can view the Nearby Sharing option here. 2 You can also activate Nearby Sharing from the quick actions menu in the Action Center. You can send any video, photo, document or webpage viewed on Microsoft Edge to people or devices nearby by clicking on the share icon in the top right corner of the app or right-clicking to view the share menu.…

Add Emoji From Your Keyboard Express yourself however and wherever you want. Press Windows logo key + period (.) to open an emoji panel. Use kaomojis to create faces with text, and symbols—like punctuation and currency—to make a statement. Automatically Backup OneDrive Folders Keep your Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders automatically backed up with OneDrive, so they’re protected even if you lose your PC. On the right side of the taskbar, select OneDrive > More > Settings. On the AutoSave tab, select Update folders and specify which folders you’d automatically like to sync. Pause System Updates To temporarily delay updates for your device, go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and then select Pause updates. Once you reach the pause limit, you’ll need to get…

Network Protection Without being too paranoid, it’s remarkably easy to get into a neighbour’s home network. If you live in a block of flats or you use powerline adapters, you may need to consider these ten steps for better network protection. 1 The most common entry point to gain access to your network is via the router. The router from your ISP may well be offering the latest forms of encryption but it doesn’t take a genius to trawl the less reputable sections of the Internet to obtain a list of passwords. Therefore, change the default username and password needed to access it. 2 Most routers these days come with a form of authentication called MAC (Media Access Code) address filtering. Every networkable device, computers, tablets, games consoles, come with a unique…

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 four security suites worth considering if you’re serious about your digital protection. Bitdefender Bitdefender Total Security 2020 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…

System Imaging A system image is essentially a snapshot of your entire system. This can then be quickly restored and conveniently saves you from having to reinstall Windows 10, all your programs and your data. 1 To begin, click on the Windows Start button and navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Backup. From within the Backup console window, where you were in the previous tutorial, click on the Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7) link under the Looking for an older backup section. 2 This launches a new window, the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) console. Microsoft has kept this feature intact through Windows 8.1 and 10 purely due to compatibility support for backups created under older versions of the OS. To the left, there are two links, click…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Installing SyncToy Installing the SyncToy software is relatively simple. It can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft Download Center for both 32 and 64-bit systems. 1 Download SyncToy 2.1 from the Microsoft Download Center (search for it on Microsoft.com). You will need to choose either the 32 or 64-bit version, so make sure you know what system you are running in Settings > System > About. 2 Once the download is complete, double-click on the SyncToy setup package and follow the instructions to begin the installation. You will need to agree to some standard software license terms to continue through the setup. 3 When you reach the point of choosing the install destination folder, you will have the option to install SyncToy for everyone who uses the computer (all…

Set Up Windows Tweaker The Ultimate Windows Tweaker 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 to.…

Finding Device Drivers Windows 10 comes with default generic drivers that will let it talk to most common peripherals but for optimum performance it’s a good idea to download and install the latest custom made drivers for your hardware. 1 Go to the website of your peripheral manufacturer. In this case we’re looking at the website for Epson printers, to install an update for an R2400 photo printer. Click on the link for product support and enter the model name and/or number. 2 Some websites (such as Epson’s) can automatically detect the operating system you’re using and immediately offer you the latest recommended driver. In other cases you will have to tell the site that you’re using Windows 10. 3 Once you’ve entered the model name and told the site…

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…

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…

Social engineering is the new modern way of manipulating people to give up their personal and confidential information. It comes in many guises and under different sub-headings, such as Phishing and the like, but it’s essentially all a form of social engineering. Essentially, the scammer will take your human nature and responses and turn it against you for their own gain. The kind of information the scammer is after does vary, depending on the type of scam being used, but for the most part they’re usually after your passwords, bank and credit card details, or login information in order to gain any sort of financial data. You’re probably more familiar with social engineering that you suspect, even if you’re new to the term. Recall the emails from someone, usually based…

Security leaks, holes and flaws in development code appear all the time, for every operating system. Windows 10 has the bad luck of being at the top of the security flaw news pile. However, here are ten reasons why it’s actually a secure OS to use. “Windows 10 Security Improvements” Virtualisation-based Security VBS is an improvement to the core Windows security, it stands for Virtualisation-based Security and uses a mixture of hardware and software enforced developments to create an isolated, hypervisor restricted subsystem for securing the OS core data. Nothing unsigned by Microsoft is allowed to be injected into the kernel or executed. Secure Booting Secure Booting utilises the new UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface), the replacement for the older and more vulnerable BIOS, along with Windows Trusted Boot code…