426 tips, tricks and guides – get the most from Windows 10 today!
TTZ09 2016
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Windows 10 tips & tricks | Contents
100 tips for Windows 10 productivity
Get started with these great tips for Windows
Contents 10 40
Advanced Windows Tools
Troubleshoot, optimise & tweak your system
lock up data for free
Keep important and sensitive files safe and secure
Settings to tweak and hidden features revealed. It’s all here!
6 | Windows 10
■ Customise
10 100 Windows 10 productivity tips 22 The best Windows 10 programs 28 Learn to use TaskView 30 Get to know Cortana 32 Organise your media 36 Conquer the Lock screen
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■ Advanced tweaks
40 Advanced Windows tools 54 Automate Windows with PowerShell 58 Secure your computer 60 Increase your desktop area 64 Manage your network with free tools
Turn your PC into a media centre with this free app
100 120
Reinstall or recover If all else fails
Windows problems solved
Improve your PC
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onedrive your life
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Make the most of cloud computing in Windows 10
■ Explore
70 The best organisation apps 74 Movie tools for Windows 10 78 Make a Daily Me with Flipboard 82 Make music with Stagelight 86 Edit photos with Pixlr 90 Run Android apps on Windows 10 92 Turn Windows into a media centre
■ Repair & Recover
96 Repair Windows 10 100 Restore, refresh or resinstall Windows 108 Back up your hard disk 111 Recover lost files with these clever apps 114 Safely clean the Registry
■ Improve performance 120 Fix annoyances in Windows 10 133 Master cloud computing 138 Get more speed for free!
Windows 10 | 7
Windows 10 tips & tricks | Contents
5kPlayer dvd app
Customise | 100 Productivity tips
Windows apps Share your preferences with Cortana
to PDF 41 Print You can now save documents as
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PDFs without any third-party software as both the Modern apps and the traditional desktop programs offer the option as part of their standard printing options.
gestures 42 Mail The new Mail app in Windows 10
You can get better recommendations if you let her know your preferences. For example, open Cortana’s Notebook and head to Eat & Drink to define your choice of cuisine, price range and more. Now repeat the process for other sections as well.
supports a couple of gestures for common tasks. Click on the gears icon in the app to bring up the Settings and switch to Option section. Now enable the ‘Swipe actions’ option and use the pull-down menu to define actions for the left and right swipe gestures.
Cortana respond 43 Make to voice
For a hands-free operation, click on the Cortana search bar, select Notebook from the left menu, choose Settings, and enable the ‘Let Cortana respond to “Hey Cortana”’ option. Now repeat the phrase anytime to activate Cortana.
Cortana respond 44 Make only to you
You can now ask Cortana to respond only to your voice. Head back to the Settings in the Notebook and press the ‘Learn my
voice’ button and speak the phrases to teach Cortana your voice.
natural 45 Cortana language search
Since Cortana can understand natural language you can use it for complex search tasks. For example, ask Cortana to ‘Find pictures from August’ and the intelligent assistant will rummage through your local and online file and apply the appropriate filters to fetch results.
Offline maps 46
Save time and money when searching for directions on the go by downloading an offline version of a map. Head to Start > Settings > System > Offline Maps and then click the Download maps button. Now you can drill down to the geographic region you’re interested in to download the map.
an email with 48 Send Cortana
You can also use Cortana to send an email hands-free. Say ‘Send an email to [Name]’ followed by the message. Cortana searches for the [Name] in the People app and composes the email with the text you spoke. If you don’t wish to make any changes, say ‘Send’.
contacts 49 Manage A contact in the People app can include an email address, work/home address and more. And depending on what information has been added to the contact, you can use the app to launch a Map view of the address or compose an email to the contact.
in Edge browser 50 Cortana Cortana can also help you as you browse the Internet. To enable it in Microsoft Edge, go to Settings > Advanced Settings >View Advanced Settings and under ‘Privacy and Services’ enable ‘Have Cortana Assist Me in Microsoft Edge’.
Reading 51 Edge enhancement
Edge has a distraction free view for reading web pages that you can switch to by
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Photos from 52 Move phone
Plug your Android/iOS phone to your Windows 10 computer using the regular microUSB cable. This will launch the new Phone Companion app with information about your phone. Now scroll and select the ‘Import photos and videos into the Photos app’ option.
Contact Support 55
If you need help setting up a Windows app or are facing any issue, you can use the Contact Support app under the Start > All apps menu. The app will help you find discussions relevant to your technical problems on the community forums.
Sync folders 53 Selectively with OneDrive
OneDrive is now more flexible and userfriendly. To customise the folders it syncs, right-click on the OneDrive icon in the notification area, select Settings, switch to the ‘Choose folders’ tab, and click the ‘Choose folders’ button to select the cloud folders that you want available locally.
files remotely 54 Access Under the OneDrive Settings tab, if you toggle the ‘Let me use OneDrive to fetch any of my files on this PC’ option, you can access your files from another computer using the OneDrive website.
new features in 56 Enable Command Prompt
The new Command Prompt in Windows 10 allows you to use Ctrl+C/V to copy and
paste commands more easily. To activate the feature, simply open the Command Prompt, right-click its title bar and select Properties. From there you can find and enable the new features under the ‘Edit Options’ section.
a video of 57 Record an app
You can now use Windows 10’s Game DVR function to record video of any open app or desktop software. Press [Win] + G to open the game bar which has a circular Record button. Recorded videos are saved under Video > Captures folder. Note that recording may slow performance depending on the demands of the app.
58 Automatically backup libraries
To backup your libraries, plug in an external drive and head over to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Backup. Click on the ‘Add a drive’ option and select the plugged in drive and then enable the option, found under File History.
Previous 59 Access versions of files
Once you’ve set up the File History preference, you can right-click on any file, select Properties, and open the Previous Versions tab to see past revisions to the file saved by either File History or Windows’ system restore points.
Edit and share photos 60
You can use the built-in Photos app to fix many common photo flaws. You can straighten and sharpen images and apply filters and effects. If you have installed social apps such as Facebook or Twitter you can use Photos to share images with friends and family.
Windows 10 | 17
Customise | 100 Productivity tips
clicking on the Reading View icon (or Press Ctrl + Shift + R). To configure the Reading View head to Settings and scroll down to the Reading section.
Customise | Best Windows Store apps
32 best Windows 10 apps
We’ve scoured the Windows Store to find the best apps that can really make a difference to your life in Windows 10 our Windows 10 machine is catered for well by Microsoft’s built-in apps, from web browsing to video playback, and of course there’s powerhouse add-ons like Microsoft Office, but sometimes you need to look elsewhere. And it’s often for an app that does a particular thing well, surpassing even Windows’ own offerings. ‘But how much will other apps cost me?’ you might ask. Well, thanks to the Windows 10 store many are completely free, and for those that are paid-for, it’s often just a couple of pounds you need to part with – a far cry from the world of traditional boxed software that might have cost you upwards of £50.
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App stores are fast becoming the go-to place for small pieces of software that enhance your machine, in Windows and other systems. What’s more, they are some of the most secure places to get new pieces of software as all the developers are verified and the software checked. As a Windows user, security will be at the forefront of your computing, so that extra comfort zone of the Windows Store is a welcome one. Read on to discover the best apps for going further in Windows 10, whether it’s a new app to enhance your photos, music-listening and movie-watching, home finances, news and sport, or simply little apps to improve your computing experience.
Customise | Best Windows Store apps
Repair & recover | Repair Windows 10
1 Repairs Over 30 repair categories are currently available – to select one, simply click in the box to place a tick next to it.
Learn how to…
Fix major problems with your PC
Windows acting up? Let the free Windows Repair tool check and repair your PC Time taken minutes
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2 Sub-repairs Some categories let you choose exactly what gets repaired – click the ‘+’ button to select your options.
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roubleshooting PC problems can be a real pain, particularly if you can’t easily pinpoint a cause – and therefore solution – to your woes. Windows does its best, but if you’re currently struggling to fix a problem that seems deeply embedded, then Tweaking.com’s All-in-One Windows Repair tool could be a lifesaver. The utility performs a series of basic checks of your set-up, takes key backups and then presents you with a list of repair tools that can fix all manner of issues. Many of the tools can be run even if they don’t appear to be linked to your problem – sometimes your symptoms may point to a series of underlying glitches that aren’t obviously linked. In this tutorial we’ll take you through the program step-by-step, guiding you hopefully towards that elusive solution to your problem, and saving you the effort of a full Windows reinstall.
settings 4 Safe Click ‘Defaults’ to select only those repairs that can be applied safely even if you don’t need them.
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Fix your PC’s problems
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Download and launch
Visit tweaking.com and click Programs followed by Windows Repair (All In One). Some problems may prevent you from installing new programs, so click the Direct Download link under Portable and save the zip file to your Downloads folder. Doubleclick it and click Extract All. Save the folder to your desktop, then open it and double-click Repair_Windows shortcut to begin.
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Power reset
Click Yes when prompted. Windows Repair will quickly check it has all the files it needs – if any are missing, you’ll need to re-download the zip file and start again. You’ll then be prompted to do a “power reset” – as instructed, power down your PC, remove all power cords and batteries, then hit the power button a few times to clear all power. Reboot and restart Windows Repair.
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info 3 Repair Each repair comes with its own full description – click one to find out exactly what it does.
Command prompt A window where system and repair tools can be run using text commands rather than a graphical user interface. Power reset A process whereby a PC is shut down and power is disconnected before attempts are made to drain any remaining electricity from it. System File Checker A command prompt tool that checks key system files for corruption, replacing damaged files with backups.
5 Restart It’s a good idea to
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restart your PC after repairs have taken place – do this from here automatically.
repairs 6 Beta Click this to try repairs that are being tested, including a System Restore repair. Treat with caution.
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Pre-scan checks
Switch to the Step 2 tab. Click ‘Open Pre-Scan’ followed by ‘Start Scan’. If problems are found, use the appropriate Repair buttons to try and resolve them. Next, run a full scan with your security software as advised – click the ‘Here is a list of extra tools…’ link if you want more scanning tools to try. If threats are found, follow the instructions to remove them, rebooting if prompted.
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Check drive for errors
The next step is worth following even if you think your hard drive is fine. First, click the Check button to scan for errors; if any are found, click ‘Open Check Disk At Next Boot’, then restart your PC. The drive will be scanned again and fixes applied. Once done, restart Windows Repair, jump to step 3 and repeat the check. Repeat repairs if necessary.
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Repair & recover | Repair Windows 10
Jargon buster!
Improve performance | Windows 10 fixes
Windows 10 fixes – your problems solved There’s lots to like about Windows 10, but you can make it even better by eliminating some common annoyances
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indows 10 blends the best features of Windows 7 and 8.1 together, but there are still potential hurdles to overcome if you truly want to enjoy it. In this feature we’ve rounded up 32 annoyances you’re likely to come across with your new operating system, which you might want to change. You’ll discover how to restore features taken out of Windows 10, such as the DVD Player or Windows Media Center, make sure settings are correctly applied to protect your privacy and security, plus resolve issues with the minimum of fuss. Once you’ve worked your way through our list, you’ll have a PC that’s working for you, not the other way round. Right then, it’s time to get Windows 10 firmly in line…
Switch System Restore back on Don’t ask us why, but Windows 10 disables System Restore by default. The first thing to do, then, is switch it back on. Press the [Windows]+[Pause/Break] keys together to open System Properties and click ‘System Protection’ in the left-hand column. You should see Protection Settings have been switched off for all your drives. Locate your Windows drive (it should be marked ‘System’) and click the ‘Configure…’ button. Select ‘Turn on system protection’ and allocate up to 10% of your available space using the slider. Click ‘OK’ twice to finish the job.
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The Libraries feature may be niche, but it can also be incredibly useful. If you’ve upgraded from Windows 7 you may be wondering where they’ve gone – thankfully they’re still present, but hidden by default. To bring Libraries back, open a File Explorer window and switch to the View tab on the ribbon. Click the ‘Navigation pane’ button on the left and choose ‘Show Libraries’. Note, Libraries can also be seen if you have ‘Show all folders’ ticked – they’ll appear under the ‘This PC’ section in the Navigation pane.
Make recovery disc What happens if Windows 10 fails to boot? You need a system recovery drive that gives you access to Windows 10’s repair options. You can create a full-blown reinstall disc with these tools (see the next tip) or you can press a spare 1GB USB flash drive into service instead with just the repair utilities in place. To do the latter, plug the drive into your PC, then type ‘recovery’ into the Search box and click ‘Create a recovery drive’ under Settings. Untick ‘Back up system files to the recovery drive’ ticked and follow the prompts to create your drive. Should you need to use it, restart your PC with the drive plugged in to access the tools.
Create a reinstall disc It also pays to be able to reinstall Windows from scratch should you need to. You’ll need a blank DVD or spare 8GB USB flash drive. First, download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from www.microsoft.com/en-gb/softwaredownload/windows10 – choose the 32-bit or 64-bit depending on your system type (press [Windows]+[Pause/ Break] and look under System if you don’t know this). Now launch the tool. Select ‘Create installation media for another PC’, click ‘Next’ and follow the prompts to select your language, edition and architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). Insert your USB flash drive, or create an ISO file you can then burn to a single DVD.
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Improve performance | Windows 10 fixes
Bring back Libraries