Five tips for using Windows 10 better

ANYONE buying a new PC will more than likely find Windows 10 pre-installed on it. The operating system is easy to use but here are some tips and tricks that will help to make it more productive.

Data protection

“Windows 10 collects a lot of data,” says Hauke Mormann, a consumer protection expert. “As a user, you should therefore look at the privacy settings.”

The Windows key + I shortcut opens the settings and you can then click on Privacy. On the left you’ll see the various apps and programs and their functions. Here you can choose to move the blue slider to off to prevent a program from collecting data.

However, even with maximum privacy settings and the Cortana voice assistant disabled, your data will still be collected. “Services you do not need or whose actions you do not understand should be disabled,” Mormann says.

Task Manager

This is one of the most important tools in Windows 10. Task Manager allows you to look behind the scenes and shows which programs are currently running.

For example, if an application has frozen or is taking too long you can use the Task Manager to shut it down. You can access the Task Manager using the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc or by right-clicking on the taskbar.

Background picture

If you don’t like the standard Windows backgrounds you can set your own. Right-click on a free area of the desktop and click Customise.

The next window allows you to choose a background. Select Picture in the right-hand menu, click Browse and then select the desired picture from wherever you have it stored.

Snap Assist

People who use their PC intensively often have several programs open at the same time. Windows 10 provides an overview of this with the Snap Assist function.

This allows users to distribute windows evenly on the screen. If you click a window’s title bar while holding down the mouse button you can position it where you want it.

Classic startup menu

Not every user loves the large Windows 10 Start menu. If you find it hard to get used to or miss the classic start menu there is an alternative.

“The freeware program Classic Shell tries to imitate the Windows XP Start menu,” says tech reporter Jan Sebastian Schuessler.

“This gives you the look of the good old Windows Start menu.” The program can be downloaded from classicshell.net. – dpa