Remove Windows 10’s biggest annoyances
What you need: Windows 10 Time required: 10 minutes
Windows
10 is getting better with each update, but there are still plenty of annoyances that make using it a frustrating experience at times. Free program Winaero Tweaker can help overcome the worst of these irritations.
It provides a huge list of tweaks you can quickly apply to Windows 10 (and earlier versions of Windows), giving you greater control over its look and behaviour. The software has just been updated, and now offers even more options.
STEP 1 To download the program, go to www. snipca.com/26359, then click the Download Winaero Tweaker link. Open it and you’ll see a list of tweaks on the left sorted into categories 1 such as Appearance, Behavior and Context Menu. Click the arrow next to a category to reveal its tweaks 2 . You can search for any tweak by name 3 . The System Information page has details of your version of Windows 4 , your hardware 5 , and the version of Winaero Tweaker you’re running 6 . STEP 2 Clicking any tweak displays its settings and a description of what it does. Click Windows Update Settings 1 (under Behavior), and you can prevent Windows 10 from installing updates automatically. There are two methods here. Click ‘Set Windows Update to notify only’ 2 and you’ll be informed when new updates become available to install (you will need to click ‘Check for updates’ in the Windows Update window when it opens to activate the tweak). Alternatively, you can turn automatic updates off by clicking ‘Disable Windows Update service’ 3 . STEP 3 Microsoft has introduced adverts into Windows 10 in the form of suggestions, tips, promotions and nags. You can disable these by selecting ‘Ads and Unwanted Apps’ 1 (under Behavior). Click the ‘Disable ads in Windows 10’ box 2 . By default, all the options below this will be selected 3 , but you can untick any you want to keep. The description below 4 explains what they all do to help you decide. Should you want to start over, click ‘Reset this page to default’ at the top.
STEP 4 Winaero Tweaker lets you choose which options appear in Windows 10’s right-click context menu. The latest version of the program adds a lot more shortcuts. To open the Settings menu you’d usually click Start, then the Settings button. To add a Settings right-click option, expand the Context Menu section in Winaero Tweaker, then click Settings 1 . Tick ‘Add Settings to Desktop context menu’ 2 . From now on, right-click a blank area of your desktop and select Settings 3 , then select the category you require 4 . The Windows Settings menu will then open on the relevant page. STEP 5 You can also control which programs are prioritised by Windows 10. Open the Context Menu section and select the ‘Run with Priority’ setting 1 . This lets you run any program with a priority level of your choosing – Low, Below Normal, Normal, Above Normal, High and Realtime. Low-priority programs have less impact on your PC, while higher ones use more resources but will run quicker (we don’t recommend Realtime because it can cause your PC to become unstable). Next, tick ‘Add Run with priority context menu’ 2 . From now on, right-click any program’s .exe file or desktop shortcut, and select ‘Run with priority’ 3 , then choose the level you want 4 . STEP 6 Speed up the time it takes your PC to restart by selecting Shut Down 1 in the Context Menu section, then ticking ‘Add Shut Down to Desktop context menu’ 2 . From now on, right-click a blank area of the desktop and you’ll see a new Shut Down option 3 . Select this and you can choose to ‘Shut down instantly’, ‘Shut down with warning’, ‘Restart instantly’, or ‘Restart with warning’ 4 . STEP 7 If a program you’ve installed prevents Windows 10 from booting, you might be tempted to go in to Safe Mode and uninstall the problem software there. Unfortunately, the Windows Installer (MSI) doesn’t work in Safe Mode. To resolve this, open the Behavior menu, and select the new ‘Windows Installer in Safe Mode’ option 1 . Tick ‘Enable Windows Installer in Safe mode’ 2 . To activate some tweaks you’ll need to restart your PC. Either click ‘Reboot now’ 3 or ‘I’ll do it myself later’ 4 . ●