Can I Format Ny Computer and Use the Wibdows Key Again
Windows ten is probably the best edition of Microsoft'due south venerable operating system. But Redmond has never made an entirely perfect OS. As much as we like Windows x—and we actually practise similar it a lot—it'southward got problems. Just check the comments below to see how much our readers detest the tracking and lack of privacy. (For that, read How to Protect Your Privacy in Windows x.)
Thankfully, many of the OS's issues are easily corrected. Here are the steps you can accept, so version x doesn't bulldoze you upward the Windows wallpaper.
Stop Auto Reboots
Windows 10 updates are regular and seemingly never-ending, and pretty much out of the user's control (unless you turn off updates altogether, which is a bad thought). What'due south worse: if y'all don't reboot your PC after an update, Windows 10 eventually takes it upon itself to reboot for you. That's a expert way to lose data in open apps.
Take reward of a feature chosen Agile Hours, which lets you schedule a time for updates and reboots. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Alter active hours. To select your own timeframe, click Modify and choose a start and end fourth dimension.
Starting with the May 2019 Update (version 1903), meanwhile, you tin can besides opt to have Windows automatically adjust agile hours based on your device's activity. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change agile hours and toggle on the option for Automatically adjust active hours for this device based on action.
Prevent Sticky Keys
If you lot hit the Shift cardinal five times in a row in Windows, you actuate Gluey Keys, a Windows feature that allows for keyboard shortcuts where you hit ane cardinal at a time instead of simultaneously (then it works with whatever combo that includes the Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or Windows keys).
If you activate it without knowing—by hit "yes" in a dialog box without thinking, for example—it can be seriously annoying. Preclude information technology from ever happening by hitting the Shift five times quickly to bring upwards that very dialog box. Click the Disable this keyboard shortcut in Ease of Access Keyboard Settings and uncheck the box next to Turn on Sticky Keys when SHIFT is pressed five times.
Calm the UAC Down
Always since Windows Vista, User Account Control (UAC) has been at that place to protect users so they tin can quickly grant administrative rights to software programs that demand information technology—specifically when installing or uninstalling software. In the old days, when y'all went to practise an install, the screen would suddenly dim and everything seemed to come up to a halt, causing several (anecdotal, probably fictional) heart attacks amidst the populace. UAC is still in that location in Windows and volition all the same dim the desktop, merely you have the option to plough it off, or at to the lowest degree prevent the screen dimming.
Type UAC into the Windows ten search box to get Change User Account Control Settings. The screen presents a slider with iv levels of security, from never notify (bad) to e'er notify (annoying—information technology'll warn yous when you lot brand your ain changes). Selection i of the middle options; the second from the bottom notifies you without the dimming scare tactic. With that selection, y'all'll still get a dialog box confirmation with a yeah/no selection when yous install things.
Delete Unused Apps
Did you know you lot have a program in Windows 10 called Groove Music? Probably non, because the earth uses other services. Thankfully, a few pre-installed Windows apps can finally be deleted. Navigate toSettings > Apps > Apps & Features, where you tin can ditch Postal service and Agenda, Groove Music, Atmospheric condition, and Maps.
If your uninstall option is grayed out, you lot could become the DOS route, just information technology gets a little complicated and you should exist 100% sure of what yous're doing.
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Type PowerShell in the Windows search box—when you meet information technology, right-click and launch it via Run equally Administrator.
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Type in "Get-AppxPackage –AllUsers" without the quotes. A giant list of all the stuff y'all've got installed that came from Microsoft's Shop, plus some other stuff, will announced.
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It's difficult to notice those apps in there, but the concluding one volition probably conspicuously read Microsoft.ZuneMusic—that's actually Groove Music. Copy everything it says on the line side by side to PackageFullName.
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You'll so blazon in a command and paste that line, so information technology reads something like "remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.ZuneMusicx.16122.10271.0x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe" (yours will be different after the commencement underscore graphic symbol).
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Execute it with a stroke of the return key. If you don't go any errors, the Groove Music app should exist gone. Be careful using this on other apps—be sure y'all've picked the right one.
Use a Local Business relationship
Microsoft really wants you to sign in to Windows 10 with your Microsoft account—the i attached to all things Microsoft, be it your Xbox, Office 365, or OneDrive business relationship, buying apps or music or video in the Windows Shop, fifty-fifty talking on Skype, to name only a few. When you set up upwardly Windows, Microsoft specifically asks you to sign in using that account.
Merely you don't have to. During setup, just clickSkip this step. If yous already signed in with the Microsoft business relationship, go toSettings > Accounts > Your info. ClickSign in with a local business relationship instead. Enter a local business relationship name and new password (with a hint for when you forget it).
The downside is that when you end up on a service or site that requires Microsoft credentials, you lot'll have to enter your Microsoft login each time; it won't automatically sign y'all in equally information technology does if y'all log into Windows with a Microsoft business relationship.
Use a PIN, Not a Password
If y'all're okay using the Microsoft account, but detest how long it takes to type in your super secure countersign, reset it to a short personal identification number (PIN) used only on the PC. The PIN, which is only numerals—no mixed instance letters or special characters—might not audio secure. Just it'southward PC-only, hopefully you're the but user, and it doesn't compromise the security of your Microsoft account anywhere else. Plus, the PIN can exist as many digits equally you lot want.
Get toSettings > Accounts > Sign-in options, and click the Add button under PIN. Enter the PIN you desire and restart to try information technology. If you've already got a PIN, yous'll meet options to change it, remove information technology, or click "I forgot my Pivot" to recover information technology.
Skip the Password Login
Are you the just person who always—and I mean ever—uses your PC? So yous can probably skip the password login screen that appears after every reboot or sometimes fifty-fifty when y'all come back from the screensaver.
Go to the User Accounts control panel by typing "netplwiz" in the search bar. Select the account, uncheck the box side by side to Users must enter a username and countersign to use this reckoner. Y'all'll get a confirmation box that asks y'all to enter that very password—twice. Click okay. Reboot the PC, and it should roll smoothly into the desktop without requesting a password. Don't do this if it'south shared PC. Call back, you'll still demand to know the password if you're logging into the PC remotely. (Or, y'all could use TeamViewer.)
Refresh Instead of Reset
Windows 10 has a fantastic feature that lets you substantially reinstall Windows 10 on your reckoner from the footing up, like new—with the selection to not delete any of your information (though you volition have to reinstall software and drivers). When your PC is beyond repair, you access it atSettings > Update & Security > Recovery. Click Get Started netherReset this PC, selection settings like "Go on My Files" or "Remove Everything," and allow it rip. Y'all don't need any divide media, like a copy of Windows 10 on a disc or USB flash drive.
Nonetheless, that can be overkill. Sometimes, Windows merely needs a reset that doesnot eradicate your software and drivers. This is too easy to practise, but itdoes require a copy of Windows 10 on dissever media. Don't have the media? Get it hither. Run it and install the included ISO file onto a 4GB or larger USB drive to employ in the reset now and in the future. Or you tin just mount it equally a virtual drive in Windows ten.
Double-click the setup on that media/drive'due south Setup choice, ask to download updates and bank check Go on personal files and apps when it appears. After a few more than prompts and waiting, your Windows 10 system will go the refresh it needs.
Master Chief would never let this happen. Windows x took out the switch to turn off Cortana, Microsoft'south answer to Siri and Alexa. Merely Cortana searches more than your estimator; information technology searches the unabridged internet. You lot tin can still turn her off, yet.
First, there is the option tohide Cortana: just right-click the Taskbar and selectShow Cortana Button. The Cortana halo ring disappears. She's still active and easily attainable, however: tap the Windows key on your keyboard and start typing.
If you want to really take her out, so all searches are local, you need to edit the registry. Don't do this if you're not feeling like a Windows skilful. Make a system restore point before you do information technology, only in example. This only applies to Windows ten Abode version.
Open the Registry Editor: Blazon +R, then blazon regedit and hit Enter. In Windows 10 Home, navigate to HKEYLOCALCar\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search. If it's not there, create it. Right-click it to create a DWORD value and telephone call it AllowCortana . Set that value to 0 (zero). Once y'all sign out and come up back, the search box will at present read "Search Windows." Yous can put Cortana back by doing all this again and setting the value to i (1).
If yous have Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you tin can utilise the Group Policy Editor to turn her off, but for that, you should commencement check with your It admin. Type Windows Key+R, type in gpedit.msc to bring up the Group Policy Editor, and so navigate to Estimator Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Double-click on Allow Cortana, check the button next to Disabled. Close the window and restart Windows 10.
If you're killing Cortana for privacy reasons, don't forget to visit your Microsoft account online and delete everything Cortana nerveless near you. Nether Cortana'due south Notebook, click the Clear Cortana Information push button.
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Send OneDrive to the Grave
Like Cortana, OneDrive—Microsoft's respond to Dropbox or Google Drive—is integrated into Windows 10. Tightly. Maybe as well tightly. Y'all can try to ignore it, but it comes up a lot.
Your first option: unlink it. Right-click the OneDrive cloud icon in the taskbar and selectSettings. Under theBusiness relationship tab, clickUnlink this PC. If that'southward non enough, under theSettings tab, uncheck all the boxes. Then become back toAccount > Choose Folders, and uncheck all the folders information technology was syncing. Go to Windows Explorer, right-click OneDrive and select Properties; in the General tab, by Attributes, check the box side by side to Hidden. Then on the Taskbar, right-click OneDrive again and select Close OneDrive.
Actually want to uninstall OneDrive? Practice it via the usual App & features uninstall in Settings. Y'all'll detect it under "Microsoft OneDrive."
Access Special Symbols Quick
Just using 26 letters and 10 numerals and a few pieces of punctuation—that's so old-school. Nosotros live in the emoji world now. And then how do yous put those fun picayune icons into your text when typing in Windows 10? The popular-upwardly keyboard. It'due south typically meant for utilize when Windows is in tablet manner, but it'south easy to access even when y'all're using Windows with a regular keyboard.
Correct-click the Taskbar in a blank area, and selectTestify bear upon keyboard push button. An icon of a petty keyboard will appear side by side to the clock in the taskbar. Tap it someday with the mouse cursor to bring upwards the on-screen keyboard; tap any fundamental on your IRL keyboard to dismiss information technology from the screen. Click the extra keyboard icon at the elevation left to access various layout options, including a split up keyboard and a stylus pad.
Y'all at present have access non but to emoji just as well special characters like the em dash or degrees symbol (°). If you can't find them, that's considering you first have to hitting the &123 key to switch to symbols. Then, like on a smartphone, hold down your cursor on the main key to go some special symbols—concur down the hyphen to go em nuance and en nuance; hold down on equals (=) to get not-equals (≠), etc. Aforementioned goes for the letters to become variations, such as accent symbols over the letters. Voilà!
Click the Smiley key to admission the full suite of standard smartphone-style emoji, rendered in Microsoft'south extra-colorful design, every bit pictured to a higher place. You can scroll left/right to meet even more in each category.
This on-screen keyboard also offers quick access to the Windows 10 clipboard, which holds multiple items you've cut or copied, and speech-to-text typing (or you tin just type Windows Key+5 to get the scrollable).
No More Notifications
You either love notifications or detest the distraction. The noise, the popup, it's too much when your phone is likely displaying near of the aforementioned info. Go intoSettings > System > Notifications & Actions. Turn off all the toggle switches for individual apps, especially the ones you lot observe most annoying. Or click on the app proper name in the listing for even more granular control—go notifications from i app on the lock screen, for example, but nowhere else. Or plough off sounds for all but ane notifier. Play with the settings to get it just right.
Cool Your Diagnostics
Similar many other big-proper name companies, Microsoft likes to get OS feedback about things like crashes. Simply when you do a setup and Windows 10 asks to Ship full error and diagnostic data to Microsoft, Redmond'south getting more than you remember. InSettings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback, you can set things to protect some privacy. Only let Required diagnostic data, not Optional information; plow off the "Better inking and typing" selection; and even delete all the diagnostic data currently on your PC—but that doesn't prevent previous or future information from going to Microsoft.
Become Off the Edge
Don't like Microsoft's latest browser? Simply no matter what browser you choose, yous need to make it the default, so anytime you open a link, it goes to the browser yous desire. Become toSettings > Apps > Default Apps, scroll down and clickSpider web browser. A list volition brandish all your installed browsers—pick your favorite. You tin can always become back to whatever Redmond thinks best later past clicking the Reset push button under Reset to Microsoft Recommended defaults.
If you get problems with sure links, ensure the file type (similar .htm versus .html) or fifty-fifty protocols (similar http:// versus https://) are all prepare to your browser of choice likewise. ClickChoose default apps by file typeorCull default apps by protocol on the aforementioned screen.
Most new browsers will try to take dorsum the default position when you launch them the first time, so if yous speed through a setup, you lot may need to revisit these settings to become back to your original, preferred web browser.
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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-fix-the-most-annoying-things-in-windows-10
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