Tips and tricks for the confusing Windows 10
Imagine if you bought a car and it arrived with a slip of paper in the glove compartment directing you to check a website if you needed an owner’s manual. Unfortunately, that sums up getting help with most computer software, and one egregious example is Windows 10. It arrived as a huge download with no instructions about how to install it, configure it, or find any useful settings.
Since Win 10 debuted I’ve done numerous Google searches to find answers to problems with it, but most of what I’ve learned has been by trial, error, and luck. Here are some of the most useful discoveries I’ve made; perhaps they might be helpful and save you some time and effort.
The taskbar sits at the bottom of the Windows 10 screen and has icons for various programs and running processes. One icon in the far right corner looks like a small square and displays notifications, but left mouse click on it, or tap it if you have a touch screen, and the Action Centre will appear. You may have to click or tap on Expand to see all of the available tools and settings.
In the Action Centre you can select Airplane mode to quickly disable your wireless connectivity. With a tap or click you can adjust the screen’s brightness, connect to a network, turn off wi-fi altogether, display the wireless networks available, or connect to a Bluetooth device. However, there are three icons to which you should pay some attention
One is tablet mode. Clicking the tablet mode button will switch back and forth between the desktop and tablet view. Tablet mode is perfect if you’re using a touchscreen since programs will run in full screen with the taskbar hidden, and the familiar Windows desktop and its program icons will be replaced by large tiles.
The Project button will let you quickly configure an external monitor or projector. You can turn off the computer’s monitor or have it mirrored on the other display device.
Win 10 seems to constantly pop up notifications asking you to try Office 365 or alerting you to added features available for apps installed on your computer. If you find this irritating, click on Quiet Hours and all notifications will cease.
To further refine this, click on All Settings and in the new window select System and then Notifications. Moving the slider under the heading “Get notifications from apps and other senders” to Off will stop all future notifications, and right below this you can turn off intrusive popups about Windows tips and tricks. While you’re there you can also add or remove buttons from the Action Centre.
On the far left of the taskbar is the Start button which looks like a small window. Right click on it and a menu of useful settings will appear. You can quickly open the Control Panel, Task Monitor, or File Explorer and some advanced settings such as Disk, Device, or Computer Management. Click or tap on Mobility Center and you can adjust the screen brightness, speaker volume, or connect an external monitor. The System command will display all of the technical aspects of your computer such as what type of processor is running or how much RAM is installed. Program Features will let you uninstall any unwanted programs or repair one which is malfunctioning.
Previous versions of Windows came with some popular programs such as Notepad, Wordpad, Internet Explorer, Paint, and the Snipping Tool. They are still included in Win 10 and you can find them by left clicking on the Start button and scrolling down the list of programs to Windows Accessories. If you use one of these utilities regularly you can put a link to it on the Start menu or Taskbar by right clicking on the name of the program and selecting Pin to Start or More to put an icon on the Taskbar.
If you are up against other daunting Win 10 issues then you can refer to Microsoft’s online owner’s manual at https://support. microsoft.com/en-ca/products/ windows?os=windows-10.