Media maladies

Annoyingly, Windows 10 ships without DVD-playing software. However, Microsoft offers an app from the Microsoft Store called Windows DVD Player, but it costs $22.45. The best bet if you want to watch DVDs is VLC Media Player, which is free to download, and fully supports Windows 10. VLC Media Player also supports a host of other file formats – even the weird ones – making it a very useful tool.

Many of us have moved on from DVDs to the wild world of media streaming. Netflix and Amazon Prime both work on Win 10’s default browser, Edge, but may need an update to Silverlight, an application framework that Microsoft created and maintains.

If you’ve upgraded from a Win 7 PC, you could well suffer from this issue, as the older version of Silverlight may have traveled across when you migrated. So, if you’re encountering streaming gremlins, go to the Microsoft website, where you can reinstall Silverlight – follow the instructions as detailed on the web page.

Then there’s music. Although Microsoft still bundles Groove Music with Win 10, the service has been deprecated, with Microsoft recommending Spotify instead. However, there are plenty of alternatives, from Google Music to Deezer and Tidal, as well as Apple Music, with a standalone version of Apple’s iTunes for Win 10 now available from the Microsoft Store.

Browser-based streaming services – such as Google Music – are also supported, of course, but bear in mind that they may not work well in Edge, as Win 10’s browser doesn’t stream multimedia when minimised. At any rate, to set the default music service (the one songs automatically play with), head to “Start > Settings > System,” and select the “Default Apps” tab. You’ll see a “Music Player” section, which presents options based on the players you have installed. Select the one you want, and click “OK.”

If you just want to play your existing music collection, then try MusicBee ( https:// getmusicbee.com). It’s easy to use, powerful, and free.