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Software That Checks if I'm Downloading Anything Updated FREE

Software That Checks if I'm Downloading Anything

Windows 10 is probably the best edition of Microsoft's venerable operating system. But Redmond has never made an entirely perfect Os. Every bit much equally we like Windows 10—and nosotros really practice like it a lot—it'southward got problems. Just cheque the comments below to see how much our readers hate the tracking and lack of privacy. (For that, read How to Protect Your Privacy in Windows x.)

Thankfully, many of the OS's problems are hands corrected. Here are the steps y'all can take, so version 10 doesn't drive yous up the Windows wallpaper.

End Auto Reboots

Change active hours menu in Windows 10 Settings

Windows x updates are regular and seemingly never-catastrophe, and pretty much out of the user's control (unless you plough off updates altogether, which is a bad idea). What'southward worse: if you don't reboot your PC after an update, Windows ten eventually takes it upon itself to reboot for you. That'southward a good way to lose data in open apps.

Accept advantage of a feature called Active Hours, which lets you schedule a time for updates and reboots. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Modify active hours. To select your ain timeframe, click Change and choose a offset and end time.

Starting with the May 2019 Update (version 1903), meanwhile, you lot can besides opt to have Windows automatically adjust active hours based on your device's activity. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change agile hours and toggle on the option for Automatically suit active hours for this device based on action.

Prevent Gluey Keys

If you hitting the Shift fundamental five times in a row in Windows, you actuate Gluey Keys, a Windows feature that allows for keyboard shortcuts where you hit one key at a time instead of simultaneously (so it works with any philharmonic that includes the Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or Windows keys).

If you activate it without knowing—by striking "yes" in a dialog box without thinking, for example—information technology tin exist seriously annoying. Forbid it from ever happening by hit the Shift five times quickly to bring up that very dialog box. Click the Disable this keyboard shortcut in Ease of Access Keyboard Settings and uncheck the box next to Plow on Sticky Keys when SHIFT is pressed 5 times.

Calm the UAC Down

Ever since Windows Vista, User Account Command (UAC) has been there to protect users and so they can rapidly grant administrative rights to software programs that need it—specifically when installing or uninstalling software. In the old days, when yous went to do an install, the screen would suddenly dim and everything seemed to come to a halt, causing several (anecdotal, probably fictional) heart attacks amongst the populace. UAC is still there in Windows and will still dim the desktop, only you have the option to turn it off, or at least foreclose the screen dimming.

Blazon UAC into the Windows 10 search box to get Change User Account Command Settings. The screen presents a slider with four levels of security, from never notify (bad) to always notify (annoying—it'll warn you lot when you make your ain changes). Pick one of the middle options; the 2nd from the bottom notifies you without the dimming scare tactic. With that choice, you'll still get a dialog box confirmation with a yes/no pick when you lot install things.

Delete Unused Apps

Did you know you take a program in Windows ten called Groove Music? Probably not, considering the world uses other services. Thankfully, a few pre-installed Windows apps can finally be deleted. Navigate toSettings > Apps > Apps & Features, where y'all can ditch Postal service and Agenda, Groove Music, Conditions, and Maps.

If your uninstall option is grayed out, you could become the DOS route, simply it gets a little complicated and yous should exist 100% sure of what y'all're doing.

Type PowerShell in the Windows search box—when you encounter it, correct-click and launch it via Run as Administrator.
Type in "Go-AppxPackage –AllUsers" without the quotes. A behemothic listing of all the stuff you've got installed that came from Microsoft'south Store, plus some other stuff, volition announced.
It's hard to find those apps in at that place, only the last ane will probably clearly read Microsoft.ZuneMusic—that's actually Groove Music. Copy everything it says on the line next to PackageFullName.
You'll and so blazon in a control and paste that line, and then it reads something like "remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.ZuneMusic10.16122.10271.0x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe" (yours will be different after the start underscore graphic symbol).
Execute it with a stroke of the return key. If you lot don't get any errors, the Groove Music app should exist gone. Exist careful using this on other apps—exist sure yous've picked the right 1.

Apply a Local Account

Microsoft really wants yous to sign in to Windows 10 with your Microsoft business relationship—the one attached to all things Microsoft, be it your Xbox, Office 365, or OneDrive account, buying apps or music or video in the Windows Store, even talking on Skype, to proper noun just a few. When you fix up Windows, Microsoft specifically asks you to sign in using that account.

But you don't have to. During setup, simply clickSkip this step. If y'all already signed in with the Microsoft account, go toSettings > Accounts > Your info. ClickSign in with a local account instead. Enter a local account proper noun and new password (with a hint for when you forget it).

The downside is that when you end up on a service or site that requires Microsoft credentials, y'all'll have to enter your Microsoft login each fourth dimension; it won't automatically sign you in as it does if you log into Windows with a Microsoft account.

Use a Pivot, Not a Password

If you're okay using the Microsoft account, simply hate how long information technology takes to type in your super secure password, reset information technology to a brusque personal identification number (PIN) used only on the PC. The PIN, which is only numerals—no mixed case messages or special characters—might not sound secure. Simply it'due south PC-merely, hopefully you're the only user, and it doesn't compromise the security of your Microsoft business relationship anywhere else. Plus, the Pivot can exist every bit many digits every bit you lot want.

Go toSettings > Accounts > Sign-in options, and click the Add push nether PIN. Enter the PIN y'all want and restart to attempt it. If you've already got a Pivot, you'll see options to change information technology, remove it, or click "I forgot my PIN" to recover it.

Are yous the only person who e'er—and I mean ever—uses your PC? And so you lot can probably skip the password login screen that appears later on every reboot or sometimes even when y'all come dorsum from the screensaver.

Become to the User Accounts control console by typing "netplwiz" in the search bar. Select the account, uncheck the box adjacent to Users must enter a username and countersign to utilize this computer. Y'all'll go a confirmation box that asks you to enter that very password—twice. Click okay. Reboot the PC, and it should gyre smoothly into the desktop without requesting a password. Don't practice this if it's shared PC. Remember, you'll still need to know the password if you're logging into the PC remotely. (Or, yous could use TeamViewer.)

Refresh Instead of Reset

Windows 10 has a fantastic feature that lets y'all essentially reinstall Windows 10 on your calculator from the ground up, like new—with the option to non delete any of your data (though you lot will have to reinstall software and drivers). When your PC is beyond repair, you admission information technology atSettings > Update & Security > Recovery. Click Get Started netherReset this PC, option settings like "Continue My Files" or "Remove Everything," and let it rip. Yous don't need whatsoever dissever media, like a copy of Windows x on a disc or USB flash drive.

However, that tin can be overkill. Sometimes, Windows just needs a reset that doesnon eradicate your software and drivers. This is likewise piece of cake to exercise, simply itdoes require a copy of Windows 10 on separate media. Don't have the media? Get it here. Run it and install the included ISO file onto a 4GB or larger USB drive to utilise in the reset now and in the time to come. Or you lot can just mount it as a virtual bulldoze in Windows x.

Double-click the setup on that media/drive's Setup option, ask to download updates and check Keep personal files and apps when it appears. After a few more prompts and waiting, your Windows 10 system will get the refresh information technology needs.

Chief Chief would never permit this happen. Windows 10 took out the switch to plow off Cortana, Microsoft'south reply to Siri and Alexa. Simply Cortana searches more than your calculator; it searches the entire internet. You can withal turn her off, however.

First, there is the option tohibernate Cortana: just correct-click the Taskbar and selectShow Cortana Push. The Cortana halo ring disappears. She'due south still active and easily attainable, however: tap the Windows key on your keyboard and start typing.

If you want to really accept her out, so all searches are local, yous demand to edit the registry. Don't practise this if yous're not feeling like a Windows expert. Brand a organisation restore signal before you do it, merely in case. This only applies to Windows ten Dwelling version.

Open up the Registry Editor: Blazon +R, so type regedit and striking Enter. In Windows x Habitation, navigate to HKEYLOCALMachine\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search. If it'due south not in that location, create it. Correct-click it to create a DWORD value and phone call information technology AllowCortana . Prepare that value to 0 (zip). Once you sign out and come back, the search box volition now read "Search Windows." You tin can put Cortana dorsum past doing all this once again and setting the value to i (one).

If you have Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you lot can use the Grouping Policy Editor to turn her off, but for that, you should get-go cheque with your IT admin. Blazon Windows Key+R, type in gpedit.msc to bring up the Group Policy Editor, then navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Double-click on Allow Cortana, check the push next to Disabled. Close the window and restart Windows ten.

If you're killing Cortana for privacy reasons, don't forget to visit your Microsoft account online and delete everything Cortana nerveless nigh you. Under Cortana's Notebook, click the Clear Cortana Data button.

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Send OneDrive to the Grave

Like Cortana, OneDrive—Microsoft's answer to Dropbox or Google Drive—is integrated into Windows 10. Tightly. Maybe too tightly. You tin try to ignore it, but information technology comes up a lot.

Your first option: unlink it. Correct-click the OneDrive deject icon in the taskbar and selectSettings. Under theAccount tab, clickUnlink this PC. If that's not plenty, under theSettings tab, uncheck all the boxes. Then go back toAccount > Choose Folders, and uncheck all the folders it was syncing. Become to Windows Explorer, right-click OneDrive and select Backdrop; in the Full general tab, by Attributes, bank check the box adjacent to Hidden. Then on the Taskbar, right-click OneDrive once again and select Close OneDrive.

Actually want to uninstall OneDrive? Do it via the usual App & features uninstall in Settings. You'll find information technology under "Microsoft OneDrive."

Admission Special Symbols Quick

Just using 26 letters and 10 numerals and a few pieces of punctuation—that's so old-schoolhouse. We live in the emoji globe now. So how exercise you put those fun little icons into your text when typing in Windows 10? The pop-up keyboard. It'south typically meant for use when Windows is in tablet style, but information technology'southward easy to access even when you're using Windows with a regular keyboard.

Right-click the Taskbar in a blank area, and selectBear witness bear on keyboard button. An icon of a little keyboard will appear side by side to the clock in the taskbar. Tap it someday with the mouse cursor to bring upwardly the on-screen keyboard; tap any key on your IRL keyboard to dismiss it from the screen. Click the extra keyboard icon at the acme left to access various layout options, including a split keyboard and a stylus pad.

You at present have access not simply to emoji simply as well special characters similar the em nuance or degrees symbol (°). If you tin can't find them, that's because you first take to hit the &123 key to switch to symbols. Then, like on a smartphone, hold down your cursor on the main key to get some special symbols—hold down the hyphen to get em dash and en dash; hold down on equals (=) to get non-equals (≠), etc. Same goes for the letters to get variations, such as accent symbols over the messages. Voilà!

Click the Smiley key to admission the full suite of standard smartphone-style emoji, rendered in Microsoft's actress-colorful design, equally pictured above. You tin scroll left/right to see even more in each category.

This on-screen keyboard also offers quick access to the Windows 10 clipboard, which holds multiple items you've cut or copied, and spoken language-to-text typing (or you tin can just type Windows Key+V to get the scrollable).

No More Notifications

You either dearest notifications or hate the distraction. The noise, the popup, it'south as well much when your phone is likely displaying most of the same info. Get intoSettings > System > Notifications & Deportment. Turn off all the toggle switches for individual apps, particularly the ones yous notice most annoying. Or click on the app proper name in the listing for even more granular control—get notifications from 1 app on the lock screen, for example, simply nowhere else. Or plow off sounds for all but one notifier. Play with the settings to become it but right.

Cool Your Diagnostics

Like many other big-proper noun companies, Microsoft likes to get Bone feedback about things like crashes. But when you practise a setup and Windows 10 asks to Send total error and diagnostic information to Microsoft, Redmond'south getting more than than y'all retrieve. InSettings > Privacy > Diagnostics & Feedback, you can set things to protect some privacy. Just allow Required diagnostic data, not Optional data; turn off the "Improve inking and typing" option; and fifty-fifty delete all the diagnostic data currently on your PC—but that doesn't prevent previous or future data from going to Microsoft.

Get Off the Border

Don't like Microsoft's latest browser? Only no matter what browser you lot cull, y'all need to make information technology the default, so someday you open a link, it goes to the browser you want. Go toSettings > Apps > Default Apps, scroll down and clickSpider web browser. A list volition display all your installed browsers—option your favorite. You can always go back to whatever Redmond thinks best later by clicking the Reset button under Reset to Microsoft Recommended defaults.

If you get problems with sure links, ensure the file blazon (like .htm versus .html) or even protocols (like http:// versus https://) are all set to your browser of option likewise. ClickChoose default apps past file blazonorCull default apps by protocol on the aforementioned screen.

Most new browsers will try to take back the default position when y'all launch them the first time, so if you speed through a setup, y'all may need to revisit these settings to get back to your original, preferred web browser.

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