This process will refresh your Windows 10 systems files and is useful for correcting issues within the operating system itself; the process will not delete your personal files or data.  Windows Store programs are also safe, but you may need to reinstall third party programs in some cases.

Simply insert the USB key into a port and when Windows asks what to do with it select the option to view it with the “Explore” program.  Double click on “setup.exe” to start the program.

Once you double click setup to start the program you may get a message asking for permission for a program to load, click “Yes” and you will see the panel below to let you know the process has started.

You will be asked if you want to download updates. You can if you wish but it will slow down the overall process.  You can also uncheck the option in the lower left to “help make the installation of Windows better.

Once things are set, click “Next” in the lower right.

The panel below will appear, it should not take longer than 5 minutes. When the “Next” text changes from grey to black you can click on “Next”.

Click “Accept”

The program will then look at what can be kept.  When the process completes the buttons in the lower right will have their text turn black, click on “Next”.

You can then reinstall Windows and keep your programs and data, click “Install”.

The process should then continue with minimal input from you, simply accept the defaults as laid out by the program.

The post Repair Windows 10 with Your Recovery Disc appeared first on CompuClever.

1. Establish Restore Points

You can think of a “restore point” as a snapshot of the operating system settings at a given point in time.  Windows has the ability to automatically create a restore point before major changes are made to your computer. For example, when you get the latest automatic Windows update your system settings can change.

Be aware, there are situations that arise where modifications, such as PC updates, can cause problems. You can feel safe in knowing that you have the option to rollback your system settings to any restore point. Windows 7 created restore points for your system by default – Windows 10 in some cases is not active. In fact, System Protection may or may not be turned on depending on how you installed Windows 10.

We suggest you follow this easy tip to enable System Protection and have restore points created automatically.

1. Right-click the Start icon and select “Search”.  From the Cortana search box, type “restore point” and select the “Create a restore point” option as seen here.
   
2. In the System Properties dialog that appears, click the “Configure” button and make sure “Turn on system protection” is selected.  Click the “OK” buttons to exit the dialogs and you are done.

2. Schedule Restarts

We find one of the most annoying things about previous versions of Windows was that updates could be downloaded and installed at almost any time – with no warning. For those of us who need our PC running and don’t want to be interrupted with a restart, this was a problem.

Now, with this tip, you can forgo any install updates during a specific window of time each day using the “Active hours” feature. Updates will be downloaded and installed when you’re NOT using your computer.

Here’s how you can make the change:

1. Click the Windows Start menu, select “Settings”, and then select the “Update & security” option.
2. In the left panel, click the “Windows Update” option.
3. As seen above, click the “Change active hours” option.
   
4. You can adjust the Start time and End time by selecting the hour of your choice and clicking the check mark.  When you are done, click “Save”.
   

Here are some helpful tips:

• The start-to-end time window must be between 1 and 12 hours.
• The same Active hours are applied for every day of the week.

The Windows 10 Active hours dialog states: “We’ll check to see if you are using this device before attempting to restart.”  Keep in mind that in the Settings window you can choose “Restart options” to temporarily override the Active hours and customize a finish time for installing updates.

3. Control Startup Processes

Many Tech experts agree that one of the biggest causes of a slow computer is having too many processes at startup. More specifically, it takes longer for your computer to be ready for use if it has an excessive number of programs to load. However, as with earlier versions of Windows, you can control which programs you want to launch at startup.

In the past, you might have used the MSConfig command. Luckily, Windows 10 provides a more direct path to the Task Manager and make changes to the startup apps.

Manage Startup Processes From Windows 10 Task Manager:

You can begin by launching the Task Manager.  To do this, right-click on the Start button and choose Task Manager from the menu. You can also type in “Task Manager” in the search box.

Once the Task Manager launches, click the “Startup” tab.

This displays a list of everything that can launch when you turn on your machine. We advise to pay special attention to the “Status” column as not everything on the list is actually enabled. If an item it marked as “Disabled” you can ignore it as it will not be part of the startup sequence.

If you see any apps that you don’t want to launch at startup simply right-click on the item and select “Disable”.

NOTE: CompuClever makes it EASY to make alterations to startup programs with the “StartUp Management” tool available in PC TuneUp Maestro!

4. How to Get Started Using Cortana

Many new users find Cortana to be one of the more interesting and advanced features included in Windows 10. Cortana is a voice-activated personal assistant similar to iPhone’s Siri provided by Apple.

You can use Cortana to check the weather, set reminders, send emails, find files, search the Internet, and more. Cortana is an example of the great technological advances that have been done in voice recognition software.  This might be the first time you use voice commands to do many of your regular PC tasks and you may find it easier and more efficient – especially if you want to muslti-task.  You’ll also be getting a more “personal” PC experience.

Cortana requires both a working microphone and speakers as well as an Internet connection. As mentioned, it can be voice-activated, but this means you need to allow Windows 10 to use your computer’s microphone to listen-in on your day-to-day activities.  If this is more than you would like – you might want to look into how to turn Cortana on and off or avoid using it altogether.

If you want to get the most out of Cortana, we recommend you check out: 15 things you can do with Cortana as provided by How-To Geek.  You’ll be able to take advantage of Cortana’s ability to quickly come up with answers to calculations and conversions.  You can have Cortana track flights or packages. Or you can just chat or even get Cortina to sing, tell you a story, or a joke!

5. Collapse the Office 2016 Tool Ribbon

Through the years Microsoft Office has become very comprehensive and powerful. There seems to be a toolbar for almost anything you could ever want to do with a document, spreadsheet or presentation. The problem however, is that on smaller monitors and devices the toolbar ribbons can take over precious screen real estate as can be seen in the image below.

Luckily there is an easy way you can hide the Office ribbon and display it when you need it. To do so, you can simply double-click on the upper tab names, such as “Home”, as seen here:

When you do this the ribbon is hidden. You can display the ribbon once again and pin it in place.  You have to double-click on the name tab once again.

That concludes our list of 5 new tips for Windows 10.

More Tips?

Click here to read another 5 Windows 10 tips.

If you have Windows 10 tips you would like to share with us, we would love to hear from you.  Please send an email to us at: newsletter@compuclever.com.

In the meantime, stay tuned for more Windows 10 tips and tricks!

The post Five More Useful Tips and Tricks for Windows 10 appeared first on CompuClever.

If you are a Windows 10 user, or are thinking about downloading Windows 10, there is something you need to be aware of: the new Windows 10 Anniversary update is scheduled to be automatically downloaded onto your computer sometime in the next few days, and it’s going to be massive. Depending on the speed of your computer and your internet link, this Windows 10 update may slow everything down to a crawl.

So be warned!

Why is the August 2016 Windows Update So Big?

The update is so massive because, to mark the anniversary of the release of Windows 10 in July 2015, Microsoft is pushing out updates to what seems like every program and service in Windows 10:

• Some changes are cosmetic, such as a new login screen.
• Other updates this August will change how the system works: the Cortana assistant will now available on the lock screen.
• Some updates are based on feedback Microsoft has received, such as a new way to save Favorites in the Microsoft Edge browser.

In short, there is something for everyone in the massive Windows 10 anniversary update.

Never a Better Time to Upgrade to Windows 10?

If you haven’t already updated your computer to Windows 10, the Anniversary update includes every update to Windows 10 over the past twelve months. This “one big update” saves not only valuable disk space, but also a lot of time. You don’t have to worry about downloading and installing every Windows patch from the last year.

Internet Explorer 11 as well as the new Microsoft Edge browsers have both been updated for reliability and security. Mobile devices receive updates to address issues found with them since the release of Windows 10.

If you want more information about the Windows 10 Anniversary update, ZDNet has an excellent summary. However, here are a few updates to Windows 10 that have caught our eye:

Potentially Confusing Changes to the Windows Start Menu

The Windows 10 Start menu is changed. This is the pre-Anniversary update version of the Windows 10 Start menu:

Following the update, the Windows 10 Start menu will look like this:

Basically, you now see the “All Apps” already selected, while the “File Explorer,” “Settings,” and “Power” are only shown as icons. The Most Used apps area is now at the top of the applications list.

This change could be a little confusing until you get used to it.

Virtual Assistant Cortana Becomes Even More Powerful

Just as iPhone users have Siri, and Android smartphone users have Google Now, Windows users can rely on their own virtual assistant, Cortana. Thanks to the Anniversary update, Cortana can now can communicate with your Windows device or even your Android phone. This means notifications from your phone can be displayed on your Windows PC—you can get notifications if your phone is running low on battery.

Microsoft Edge Gets Extensions

“Edge”, the new, stripped-down browser Microsoft introduced a couple of years ago, now has the ability to add extensions. Users of the Firefox and Chrome browsers have been able to add extensions such as AdBlock for years, so hopefully Edge will become more powerful thanks to this update.

The Anniversary update has also added Cortana to the Edge browser, much like Google’s Chrome browser supports voice commands and voice search.

“Windows Ink”

In terms of actual new functions added to Windows, Microsoft has added something called “Windows Ink.” This is an application for stylus users, and makes it much easier to sketch and take notes on any touchscreen device running Windows 10.

Biometrics Now a Part of Windows 10

Also new to Windows is “Hello,” a biometric agent that uses facial and fingerprint recognition to verify access to your computer. Of course, your computer will need to have a camera or fingerprint reader built into it to actually use Hello, so if you do not have these installed already, this is not something that will affect you.

However, the Windows 10 Anniversary Update Ignores Some Big Problems

The Anniversary update doesn’t address every problem Windows 10 users have been complaining about for the past year.

For example, if Windows 10 security issues were a concern, Microsoft has done nothing to address your fears. Notably, Windows 10 will still log what you do on the computer and send this usage information back to Microsoft.

Some Windows 10 Users Can’t Log Into Their Computers Following Anniversary Update

As well, the Anniversary update itself has some bugs that need to be updated: some users people have discovered they cannot log into their systems once the Anniversary update is installed. The solution? Roll back to a previous install point—which in some cases means a previous version of Windows! While the number of people reporting this disastrous issue is still pretty small, it’s a big deal if it happens to you.

To protect yourself, if you have not been updated Windows 10 yet, enable the System Restore to generate a save point you can return to should the update not work. Instructions on setting up System Restore in Windows 10 can be found here.

What’s the Verdict on the Windows 10 Anniversary Update?

It is a bit early to provide any meaningful insights about just how good this update is. The main thing we wanted to do was to give you a heads-up about what is being offered by this download, and give you that warning about backing up your system. We felt these tips were especially important, since Windows 10 updates are not optional—you have to install them.

Hopefully the items mentioned here are useful, and if you have any question, or want to let us know about your own experience with the Anniversary update, leave us a comment below.

Charles Edward frequently reports on the latest developments in Microsoft and Windows software products.

The post Are You Prepared for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update? appeared first on CompuClever.