Best Free Software

O&O Shutup10 1.8

www.snipca.com/35184

What you need: Windows 10

When Microsoft releases its major updates for Windows (see page 60 for more on the recent May 2020 Update), it also quietly resets some settings to their defaults – in other words, Microsoft changes your computer to better suit its needs. O&O Shutup10 lets you take back control and tweak a wide range of settings with the click of a button. O&O calls it an ‘antispy’ tool for Windows 10, but it lets you tweak much more than just privacy settings, including hiding any annoying Windows tools you never use.

The tool is just 1.3MB and requires no installation – simply copy the EXE file to your desktop, or any other folder, then double-click it to run Shutup10. You’ll see a scrollable list of over 100 tweaking options, split into categories such as Privacy, Cortana and Windows Update. The first time you change a setting after running the program, Shutup10 prompts you to create a system restore point, which is a sensible precaution that allows you to roll back any changes you make then regret.

O&O has released a cluster of Shutup10 updates in recent weeks that have made it fully compatible with the May Update. Other improvements include tweaks for Edge, such as removing the annoying feedback icon from the toolbar. To do this, type feedback in the search box (top right), then turn on the ‘Disable user feedback…’ setting (there are options for the new Chromium version of Edge and the old version). And if you don’t like the way Windows sends information back to Microsoft every time a program crashes, search for reporting and turn on the new Disable Windows Error Reporting setting.

4 1 To activate a setting, click its slider so that it moves to the right and turns green. Click the setting’s name for a short description of what it does. 2 Each option has a recommended setting. ‘Yes’ indicates you should consider turning it on, ‘limited’ indicates the setting affects only some Windows features, and ‘no’ recommends you should leave it turned off. 3 1 3 To undo all changes you’ve made in Shutup10, click the Actions menu, then select ‘Undo all changes…’. You can also enable all ‘recommended’ settings, but it’s best to tweak them individually so you know what’s changing. 2 4 To copy your settings to another computer, click File, ‘Export settings…’, then save the CFG file. Now copy this file to your other computer, run Shutup10, then click File, followed by ‘Import settings…’.