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Why won’t your Narrator shortcut work?
Q MY vision is getting worse with each passing year, so I was interested to read Jonathan Parkyn’s advice in Issue 524 (page 60), about the Narrator tool in Windows 10. The instructions say to press Caps Lock+1 to turn it on but all that does for me is type the character ‘1’. Did you print the wrong keyboard shortcut?
Erica Smythe
A the Caps Lock+1 keyboard shortcut we highlighted is used to enable or disable a specific function of the Narrator tool called Input Learning. To enable Narrator itself you need to first click Settings followed by ‘Ease of Access’. Next, on the left, click Narrator, then on the right, click the Narrator slider to On (see screenshot below).
Once Narrator is active you can then use the Caps Lock+1 combination to turn on the Input Learning feature, which then works as described by Jonathan in our Issue 524 feature.
Does BIOS access require a wired keyboard?
Q the letter from Brian Lawrence in Issue 523 (see Letters, page 12) suggests that it’s not possible to access a PC’S BIOS with a wireless keyboard. Surely it depends on the age of the motherboard and the BIOS version? I have never had a problem when accessing the BIOS with my wireless keyboard, and I’m sure that somewhere within the BIOS settings this can be configured at the outset.
I’ve also heard that if the wireless keyboard dongle is plugged into a front USB port it will work when a rear motherboard port does not, assuming the PC has one of course. Could we have definitive answers from Computeractive?
Geoff Emson
A we’re certain of one thing: a definitive answer is impossible. There’s an infinite combination of motherboards, BIOS versions, USB controllers and port types, before we even mention wireless keyboards and dongles. Some combinations will allow access to the BIOS from the get-go, but many others will not. You’re lucky enough to have a combination of equipment that lets you get into the BIOS with a wireless keyboard, but Brian evidently does not.
However, we probably should have replied with a caveat concerning Brian’s suggestion to buy a PS/2 keyboard. The PS/2 socket is now over 30 years old, and an ever-dwindling number of new motherboards have this port. So, for many people a PS/2 keyboard would be useless for accessing the BIOS.
Besides, modern PCS have done away with the traditional BIOS, in favour of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, or UEFI – access to which can be achieved via Windows. In Windows 10, click Start, the settings cog, ‘Update & security’ then Recovery. Now, under ‘Advanced startup’, click ‘Restart now’ (see screenshot above). Next, click Troubleshoot on the left, ‘Advanced options’, UEFI Firmware Settings, followed by Restart.
Why didn’t Microsoft’s patch fix my updates?
Q I found your news article about Microsoft’s emergency fix for an update that won’t install very useful (see Issue 524, page 6). However, I still have several updates that tell me they are awaiting a restart so they can finish installing. I have restarted several times but they still won’t install. I have a 64bit edition of Windows 10, updated to version 1709 (Fall Creators Update). I have emailed Microsoft but received no response. Can you help?
Jeanne Pike
A the Microsoft patch we reported on was specifically for update KB4074588. It will not fix problems with other troublesome updates. For that you’ll need to use the company’s Windows Update Troubleshooter, which is a free download from www.snipca.com/27399. You should click the link for the Windows 10 version.
Double-click the downloaded file to launch the troubleshooter, then click Next (see screenshot above). What happens now depends on which problems the tool identifies – but you should follow the prompts to apply the suggested fix. Finally, restart your PC. Windows Update should now be back in working order, so your outstanding updates should install.