Innholdsfortegnelse for 8th Edition i Windows 10 For Beginners

After the radical redesign of its predecessor, Windows 10 has been lauded as a return to form, blending classic elements of Microsoft’s operating system with some significant new features. The Start menu has made a welcome return, and it’s now more useful than ever thanks to the inclusion of live tiles and Cortana – your very own voice-activated personal assistant. In this new edition of Windows 10 for Beginners we’ll walk you through these features and much more besides. From installing Windows 10 and tweaking your settings, to browsing the web and emailing friends, the tutorials in this bookazine will help you on your way to becoming an accomplished user. We’ll also break down how to get the most out of Microsoft Office, as well as showcasing some of the…

Surface 3 Docking Station With support for Windows 8.1 and higher, this official Microsoft product transforms your Surface tablet into a desktop device. Beyond a 48-watt power supply input for charging while you work, it features two USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and 3.5mm connectors for audio input/output. A Mini DisplayPort for external monitors facilitates HD video output up to a whopping 3840x2600 DPI resolution making this the ideal way to enjoy Windows 10 when not on the move. For an RRP of £164.99/$256, this 800g accessory even offers pen storage! “Transform your tablet into a desktop device” Microsoft Lumia 950 & 950 XL Two of the latest handsets in the Microsoft Lumia range are both fully primed for Windows 10. Specifically designed to take advantage of the…

There are two types of user accounts in Windows 10: a local one or a Microsoft one. With a local account, you have a username and password to log in to the computer. Your details are kept on the computer, and internet access is not required. This type of account is common with Windows XP, Vista and 7. If you have upgraded from Windows 7, for example, your Windows 10 account is probably local. A Microsoft account enables extra features in Windows 10 that aren’t available to people with a local account, such as OneDrive online storage, Office web apps, an Outlook email address, apps in the Windows Store, and synchronised settings across computers. If you have a local account, open a web browser on any computer running any version…

Windows 10 offers a raft of improvements that greatly refine and improve the user experience, but behind all of this is a set of security features that will help to keep all of your important personal data secure. Windows Hello in particular is a hugely impressive feature that lets you use accessories to sign in using facial recognition or your fingerprint, and the level of security included is enterprise grade to make you feel more secure than ever. Alongside a regular check for the latest security updates and using common sense in all aspects of your computing, these new features add another layer that will go a long way in stopping others accessing the data stored on your PC. They are new and will become more accessible over time, but…

The Start menu in Windows has changed a lot as each new version has been released. In Windows 10, we finally have a solution that can be anything you want it to be thanks to the customisation tools. You can change the look of the background and also quickly move tiles around so they are in the most accessible positions. You also have the ability to change the system shortcuts. The Start menu can be very large, like the style used in Windows 8, or you can make it as minimalist as the visuals used in Windows 7 and before, giving you the chance to use whichever style you prefer. We will cover the major changes you can make and explain how they can be activated, but you should also…

Every new release of Windows improves the security of the computer, but even though there is more protection than ever, malware and hackers will still try to gain access to your computer to steal files, or infect it with a virus. You need to be aware of the possible security threats and make sure that Windows is fully protected. One of the ways in which you can increase the security of the computer is by using a firewall. It prevents unauthorised people and software from accessing your files and the Windows system from the local network or the internet. Windows Firewall blocks incoming connections – in other words, troublemakers on the network or internet – while allowing software on your computer, like a web browser, to work normally. It can…

If you’re familiar with other operating systems, you’ll be pleased to see that Windows 10 has embraced the virtual desktop as a core part of the experience. Basically, it’s like having an entire row of desktops side by side, but you can only see them one at a time through the window of your screen. You can move sideways between them and, crucially, take your applications with you and drop them wherever you please. They’re a great way to organise your activities by using different desktops for different things and they can also help you keep a more sane-looking desktop. Using Alt+Tab to switch applications becomes far less useful the more applications you have open, because you're tapping Tab several times rather than just clicking an icon in the taskbar.…

N_otifications can be streamlined sources of useful information or constant meaningless distractions, depending on how you set them up. Just like your smartphone, if you install and use a lot of different apps and let every one of them shout about everything it wants whenever it wants, your notifications centre will soon become a thick mire of messages, slow to slog through and far less useful to you. Left untamed, notifications can become very demanding of your attention. Instead, you can customise your settings and reduce the volume of notifications you receive, making sure only the most relevant come through and reducing the clutter. Once you‘ve done this, you can almost use your Notifications centre like a to-do list that automatically populates itself with new tasks. The way to do…

The latest version of Snap available in Windows 10 is even more logical and easy to use than the previous versions. You are now able to work with four apps at once when they are snapped to each corner of the display and with the right monitor, three apps side by side is even possible. One of the main benefits of Snap is that it is so easy to use and this should help you a lot when you are busy dealing with multiple apps in separate windows. A quick keyboard command or mouse drag will have all of the apps you are using in the right order ready for you to continue working. If you are unaware of how Snap works, please follow our quick four-step tutorial here, because…

Similar to Windows 8.1, the new Windows 10 operating system provides you with an old favourite in the form of a People app, the main source for adding or managing your contacts. A contact could include an email address, phone number, birthday and work/home address. In fact, the People app is more of a team player, as it works hand-in-hand with the pre-installed Mail and Calendar apps. So you shouldn’t be surprised if you launch the People app and discover it has found your Mail account (and possibly others) and populated the interface with contacts already. This is not a bad thing, as importing contacts is a real time saver. This is something we will quickly showcase in the guide, but check out the Mail app guide on page 76…

If you have already read the Mail and People app guides then you will be aware that the Calendar app is designed to work alongside them, allowing you to access contacts and email. In fact the Calendar app even has a shortcut to launch the Mail app directly from the main interface. What this means is that there should be a familiarity with how you use the app, especially as Windows 10 is designed to filter a common theme through the all of its default apps. It also saves time having to re-input account details if you want to tap into your Google calendar for argument’s sake, as when you use the Mail or People app the account will already be available in the Calendar app ready to go. For…

Similar to most modern browsers, Microsoft Edge (or ‘Edge’ for short) allows you to quickly bookmark web pages as ‘favourites’ so you can access them later. The main benefit of doing this speaks for itself, but imagine you have a project that requires plenty of research. Instead of re-entering your web page(s) or viewing search results from Google every time you want to access the same content, you can add the pages to your Favourites folder (accessed from the browser’s Hub menu) and retrieve them later without going through the same hassle. However, what’s useful with Edge is that you can create custom folders, so you could create one called ‘Research’ and add the pages you want to this instead. We will showcase the above processes in our tutorial below,…

Similar to its competitors, Microsoft has implemented a Reading list function into its Edge web browser, which allows you to save web articles for reading later on. You may be thinking what is the difference between this and bookmarking a web site/ article? This can be answered by simply saying there are similarities, but a reading list is a bit like an RSS news feed, where you have items that you may not want to keep hold of, but still want to read later on when you get back home. So, in other words, they are less of a permanent solution compared to a bookmark. With a reading list you won’t have tons of items cluttering up the interface (if you remove them, that is). Also, with Microsoft Edge, the…

In the past, the number of apps in the Windows 8 Store was plentiful, but perhaps not diverse enough. The Windows infrastructure also made it a bit tricky for developers to code for the platform. However, the new Store has improved, and soon you will be able to download a range of apps that are usually found on the iOS and Android platforms – primarily because Windows 10 has made it easier to port these apps across. Additionally, a really useful function of the new Windows Store comes from its universal app support, which we've covered elsewhere in this bookazine. What this will mean is an app supporting the universal nature could effectively run on any of the Windows 10 devices, like Xbox One, tablets, Hololens and smartphones. So, don’t…

I_n recent years laptops have become smaller, lighter, cheaper and increasingly powerful. This has made them more popular than ever with both businesses and home users. With a company laptop you can work when you are out of the office and with a laptop at home you can sit on the sofa with your computer while watching the TV and you are not tied to a computer desk or table. Laptops are great. The only drawback is that the battery life of your computer might limit the time you can spend away from a power point. If only the battery would last longer. It can and there are ways to improve the length of time the laptop can be used on battery power. By adjusting a few configuration settings, it…

In Windows 10, the process of importing all of your favourite snaps is remarkably easy. There are a few methods you can use to move your photos over, but we will stick with a tried and tested one that should work no matter what PC you are using. It uses File Explorer and the Photos app to transfer all of your photos and manipulate them as required. It is likely you will repeat the process many times if you take a lot of photos, so we would recommend you use the auto-delete feature to free up space. Photos from high-end digital cameras can take up a lot of space, so you will need to manage your Windows space accordingly. Some time spent reviewing which photos to discard will save you…

In 2001, Microsoft diversified from its traditional Windows OS and released a games console. However, it was only when its Xbox Live Gold service launched in 2002 (a paid-for subscription service) that it truly transformed the way people played. Now you could play games with individuals across the globe, without needing to be sitting next to them. However, unlike on the consoles, Microsoft is offering a subscription-free Xbox Live service on Windows 10, which is integrated within the OS and its dedicated Xbox App. On top of this the Xbox One is also getting Windows 10. This means you will be able to play cross-play games (ones that pit PCs against consoles) and you even have the ability to stream games from the Xbox One to your Windows 10 tablet…

Microsoft Word is a legendary piece of software, and in the latest version Microsoft has concentrated heavily on making sure that all of the features are easily accessible and as efficient as possible. The software feels smoother to use than ever before and you only need to access the extra features when absolutely necessary. As with all software that is given a new update, and in particular titles that you have used for many years, there will inevitably be a learning curve. You will notice that the biggest change in the latest version is the ability to read your document in a variety of ways, and you really can check every single pixel to ensure that your work looks as good as it reads. The powerful nature of the software…

Get the most out of your Windows 10 PC with these must-have apps Every modern computer operating system worth its salt comes with a built-in online app store these days, and Windows 10 is no exception. The excellent Windows Store that takes pride of place in your Start Menu is ready to take you gently by the hand and lead you through an exciting and enticing assortment of apps spread around 20 different categories. You can download them to your computer (in a lot of cases completely free of charge) and enjoy them for a multitude of different purposes. In this feature we carefully go through each category in the Windows Store and hand-pick five of the very best apps to help you get the most out of your PC.…

You only have to switch on your television to realise how popular cookery is these days, with kitchen programmes dominating the schedules, top chefs enjoying celebrity status and whole channels dedicated to cooking good food. The fact of the matter is that absolutely anyone can cook and the Windows Store is stacked full of apps to inspire you to get creative in the kitchen, regardless of whether you’re an expert or a beginner. There is certainly no shortage of recipe apps that provide ingredient lists and simple stepby- step instructions to help you through every stage of the process and these extend to all styles of cooking – very helpful if you’re using a Windows 10 tablet. There are also apps dedicated to sweet treats, healthy menus, and exciting and…

Security has always been a big issue with PCs, since they are vulnerable to all manner of malicious malware. Fortunately, there are hundreds of ways to protect your computer and all of your important files, as well as secure all of your passwords to make your machine completely unhackable. There are even apps that patrol your social networks to ensure that nothing malicious is making it from FaceBook or Twitter onto your machine. A little diligence can go a long way to preserving the well-being of your computer, so make sure that you take time out to shop around in this section and find the right app that meets your security requirements – there are certainly enough to choose from. As always, five of our favourites are highlighted in the…

Like the news apps, there are a great many apps available that focus on sports and beam all of the latest scores and stats straight to your desktop with the minimum of fuss. Although the majority of these apps tend to focus on American sports, a little searching will throw out must-have apps for any sport you’d care to mention. And they aren’t just all about news and scores either. There are also coaching apps that can help you improve your golf swing. Then there are apps that review all of the latest products in your preferred sport so you can make an informed decision on what make of football boots to buy next. So, for active sports players or armchair fans, the Store has something for everyone, from gridiron…

Incredibly, it’s been more than 30 years since the first commercial release of Microsoft’s Windows. Through a myriad of ground-breaking iterations, the operating system continues to redefine how users interact with not just PCs but tablets, smartphones and even games consoles too. It's apt then that in this anniversary year we see Windows continuing to offer innovation, just as it always has done. Windows 10 promises a unified experience across modern devices, unveiling a raft of new features alongside some old favourites – and with the Anniversary Update (released in August 2016 as a free upgrade), certain Windows 10 features have been improved and refined even further. Classic desktop staples, most notably the iconic Start menu, returned in versatile style in Windows 10 and users are encouraged to customise Windows…

There are different ways to install Windows 10, which means you might not see every screen in this tutorial. Just focus on the ones that appear. One way to get Windows 10 is through Windows Update. It will automatically download, then ask if you want to install it. You can do so immediately, but if it’s not convenient, the installation can be put off until a later day or time. It is best to do it when you have an hour to spare, rather than 10 minutes before you have to rush out. It takes time to upgrade and there may be questions to answer along the way, so it is best to sit with the computer rather than leave it alone. Another way to upgrade is to install it…

For computers that will be used in homes and shared among family members, Windows allows you to create separate accounts for everyone. There are several advantages to creating multiple accounts on a computer, as each person will have their own Documents, Photos, Videos and Music folders, and they are private. By storing each person’s files on their own account, they will never become muddled. You can have your own web browser bookmarks separately from your partner or child. It is also possible to place restrictions on children’s accounts and limit what they are able to do or even when they are allowed to use the computer. A big change in Windows 10 is that each user must have an email account. If you do not have one, then you will…

Windows 10 has many new features and some of these require information to be shared with Microsoft in order for them to work. This raises privacy issues and on the internet are many articles that express concern over the privacy of anyone using Windows 10. Take them with a pinch of salt. Many use controversial headlines and content designed to attract clicks and readers. There isn’t really much to be concerned about. There are dozens of privacy settings in Microsoft’s new operating system and we will cover many of them here. It might seem that there is a lot, but not all of them are new. Some of them are in previous versions of Windows, although they are difficult to find or are not mentioned at all. Windows 10 actually…

Windows 10 is easily customised, as there are lots of settings that can be modified. These can make the interface, such as the desktop, windows, icons and other visual elements, more attractive or easier to see; you can add and configure devices like printers, modify the mouse for left-handed use, change the Start menu, show or hide animations and backgrounds, change the mouse cursor and much more. Settings should be one of the first places to explore after upgrading your Windows PC or buying a new one with Windows 10 pre-installed. The way that settings are customised has changed from Windows 7 to 8 to 10. This guide takes you on a tour of the most important sections in Settings, and shows some of the ways Windows 10 can be…

Each new version of Windows is more secure and provides better protection from malware, spyware and adware on the Internet than previous versions. Windows 10 is much better than XP, Vista, and 7, but this is no reason to be careful about security. It is equally important that you employ security software on Windows to protect it from malware and hackers that are on the Internet. Microsoft provides a basic security program called Windows Defender for people who do not yet have third-party protection. It is not the best security and you should consider installing one of the many alternatives from companies like Bitdefender, Avira, AVG and others as soon as you can, but for the moment this will do while you are setting up Windows 10 and exploring its…

The humble Task Manager is one of the most powerful tools for keeping your PC under control. Giving you information about what’s going on in your system, what processes are running, how much RAM or CPU power they’re using, overall resource usage, and the list goes on. It’s a great tool for finding where things might be going wrong and maintaining everything. The new version in Windows 10 is better than ever before, giving more easily processable information, along with separate tabs and graphs for the different available resources such as RAM, CPU and networking. With Windows 10 being very new, not everything will work as well as it once did. With new software on old hardware, it will run fine most of the time, but there will be the…

Once you are up to speed with your new system and have installed some new applications, you’ll want to start customising your program associations to make sure they run when you want them to. This will make life much easier for you as you come to rely more and more on your setup for specific things. If you have the applications that you have chosen to use for particular things run automatically whenever you click on the files that you want to use them with, then you are able to get straight to your task with just a double-click. You might, for example, be a fan of the new Music and Video apps, and be happy to leave them as the default applications for everything music and video-related. But what…

Cortana is the name of the personal assistant in Windows 10. You can talk to Cortana like she is a real person and she will answer back, provide information you request, make appointments and reminders, and even tell jokes. It is a brilliant feature that is not only useful, it's fun too. Cortana is a feature of the search box next to the Start button to the left of the taskbar. Click in this box and type in something you want to find on the computer or the internet, and Cortana will display the results in the panel that pops up. You can also talk to Cortana, by clicking the microphone button at the right side of the search box or simply saying “Hey, Cortana.” Cortana then starts listening and…

With the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft's aim has been to have universal apps that work across multiple devices. One of the apps that supports this is the Mail app. So if you own a smartphone running Windows 10, then changes made in Mail on one platform will appear on the other and vice versa. Mail works in tandem with the People and Calendar apps (for contact info and events respectively). This is why when you first load the Mail app it may already list any accounts you have set up previously, eg from the People app. It will almost certainly also list the Microsoft account that you used when you set up Windows or created an online account to access the Store. For now though, we will guide you…

On the previous pages, we took a look at what to expect from the Windows 10 Calendar app. In this guide we take things a step further by showing you how to actually add events to your Calendar app. What’s useful is the events support a number of different account types – for example, you can add events to Google or iCloud. Better still, any events you add will be viewable on other devices that you own, such as smartphones and tablets (as long as they are logged into the same accounts). Another useful feature that you get when setting up events is the ability to set reminders. The latter will usually pop up before the event takes place. Additionally you can invite other users to access your events, and…

Extensions are popular with Chrome and Firefox users and many people use these browsers because of them. They are small add-on modules that seamlessly plug into the browser to add useful extra features and functions. And with the Anniversary Update, Edge has them too. Extensions like LastPass remember all your passwords and website login details, OneNote saves web pages and articles to notebooks, Pocket saves web pages you don’t have time to read right now and lets you read them later, and ad blockers remove irritating adverts from web pages. There are only a few extensions at the moment, but more and more are being added with each passing week. They are available from the Windows Store and can be installed with a click. Extensions appear at the top of…

W hen Windows 10 was launched it had more advanced touch and pen features than any previous version of the operating system. It could be used in normal or touch mode and you could write on the screen or draw on webpages in the Edge browser using a pen. Microsoft Pen is a pen-shaped stylus that is designed to be an accessory for owners of laptop/tablet hybrids like the Microsoft Surface, but it works just as well with a laptop or desktop PC that has a touch screen. While using a stylus is generally easier and gives more precise results, for quick sketches your finger will get the job done just fine. Windows Ink Workspace is a new feature in the Anniversary Update that collects all the best pen features…

Once you start using Maps in Windows 10, you will wonder how you ever managed without it before. The general mapping detail is very accurate, and everything that you need to see is presented in perfect detail, so that you will always understand exactly what you are looking at. Add to this a selection of realistic views and a set of impressive features that will prove useful over and over again, and you will be able to leverage all of the advanced functionality in just a few clicks. You are able to view large areas using the standard view, or choose the satellite view for added realism, and you can then search for specific establishments, such as coffee shops, using natural language. Whether you are using it on a desktop…

It is likely that you have heard of Skype, but it’s also possible that you are not aware of the advantages it offers. Perhaps the most obvious is the ability to save you money, as you can speak to people around the world for free every single day. You can also share files, converse using text or just enjoy the advanced audio quality the service offers. The interface is as simple as you could wish for and it never gets in the way of what you need to do, even when you are using other apps. It is worth remembering, though, that video calls and even audio calls can use high levels of bandwidth at times, but aside from that the software is more than efficient enough to work smoothly…

The Photos app in Windows 10 enables you to browse the photos on the disk drive as well as view and edit them. It is worth getting to know this app because it has some great features. For example, you can fix many common photo flaws such as exposure. Images can be brightened or darkened, the contrast can be increased or decreased and the saturation adjusted for perfect pictures. There is a tool to straighten photos that have been taken at an angle as well as a tool to fix red-eye. There are also special effects; you can turn photos into black and white masterpieces, or simulate aging and fading with various filters and the vignette tool. It’s fun experimenting with the tools and effects, and when you have finished…

We have already covered a basic overview of the interface and features of the new Windows Store, as well as how to download apps. Here, our core focus is on downloading new media, and by this we mean music. Rather than covering Film and TV as well, focusing on the music side of things will tie in nicely with the ‘Add music to your library’ guide that’s on the following pages, which focuses on the new Groove Music app. We’ll mostly showcase the Music section of the Store, and how easy it is to find your preferred music. It is equally easy to navigate through films and TV shows too. On top of this we will look at how to preview music before purchasing (which is a system used on…

Perhaps more than any other software, Microsoft Excel dominates the area in which it resides. If you need to create a spreadsheet, Excel is the solution for millions of people and is now practically a standard. You will struggle to find a better program for your charting and table needs. Building complexity in a simple interface is difficult, but here we have a brilliant example which will suit both beginners and experienced spreadsheet users. As we show you some of the most important features, you may feel that it is all very easy to use, but our main advice would be to spend time investigating all that it can offer as your needs grow in complexity. It is flexible enough to let you reach your preferred level and complete enough…

Slowly but surely, folks are ditching their old-hat paperbacks and making the leap to digital eBooks – and why not? The benefits are plain to see – you can browse and purchase new books on the move, you can carry your entire book collection around with you everywhere and it helps protect the trees that otherwise would have been felled to make the paper. What’s more, eReaders come packed with options that allow you to personalise your reading experience by changing the font, the colour of the page and the brightness of the screen. You can also bookmark as many pages as you want, add your own notes and get all of your settings synced across devices so that you can start reading on one device and then continue on…

It’s not all work, work, work you know! Your Windows 10 PC is also a perfectly able entertainment system that you can use to watch HD movies, stream live TV and generally kick back, relax and have fun with. The Entertainment section of the Windows Store is full of curiosities to keep you enthralled, such as sophisticated painting apps, apps to give your desktop a seasonal theme and apps to help fuel your hobbies. The Entertainment section of the Store is also packed full of great free apps to help keep the kids entertained while you attend to other things. This is certainly one of the more varied sections in the Store, which throws all manner of random and obscure apps together, and is a great place to shop for…

Forget the latest blockbusters – there is enough gaming gold in the Windows Store to keep even the most avid of gamers engrossed for weeks on end. Whether it’s puzzle games, physics-orientated games or level-grinding role-playing games, there really is something for everyone and a lot of it is free to download and play. Often the only downside to free apps is the inclusion of pop-up ads, but you can try most games out with a free version that may exclude a lot of the content and then upgrade to the paid-for version later on. If you’re hot on your Xbox Achievements then game apps you buy through the Store often throw up accolades to add to your score – perfect if all of the TVs in the house are…

Seeing as most of the apps in the Windows Store undoubtedly enhance your lifestyle in some way, what can you possibly expect to find in this specific section of the Store? Whatever it is you’re thinking of, it probably won’t include burning fireplace simulators, personal makeover apps and the teachings of Bruce Lee. In fact, what most people will no doubt be expecting are endless journal-writing and horoscope apps. Well, those examples are certainly all here in abundance, but the point we’re making is that there are plenty of unexpected apps to discover here too, such as ones that can help you do everything from read palms to learn about various breeds of dog. It’s an eclectic mix and you will really have to trawl through a lot of junk…

With the advent of smartphones with built-in high-resolution cameras, everyone fancies themselves as the next big duke in the world of photography. However, scrolling through your camera rolls will no doubt reveal the odd less-than-perfect pic that is in need of some urgent doctoring if it is to saved at all. Enter the Photo section of the Windows Store. Here you will be spoilt for choice with a wide array of photo-editing apps that you can use to straighten and crop images, balance the colours, reduce red-eye and much more besides. You will also find apps to present your pictures in attractive collages before sharing them with other people, and apps that provide varied selections of filters that you can apply to give them a particular look. The options are…

It may be the dreaded death knell to the high street stores, but the fact is that online shopping is quicker, easier and often a lot more painless than braving the elements and the queues when shopping for essentials and gifts. Big hitters such as Amazon and eBay are made to feel right at home on your PC with staggering apps that make the shopping experience an absolute breeze, and long forgotten service directories such as Yellow Pages are also finding a new lease of life thanks to slick operating systems that bypass the conventional ‘Google It’ method of sourcing contact details and information in your local area. So while we may miss the chirpy banter of actually engaging with other human beings when buying things, online shopping is taken…

The rise of Windows in the formative years of mainstream home computing really went hand in glove with the mouse. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) and its Windows, Icon, Mouse and Pointer (WIMP) paradigm liberated users a little from their keyboards. However, both peripherals very much remain standard for desktop PCs and even in virtual form on touch devices. With Windows 10 harnessing next-gen forms of input alongside predominantly the pointer, lest we forget the usefulness of the keyboard for system shortcuts. These quick key combinations still represent the fastest form of performing interface actions for most, with Windows 10 ensuring its myriad of new features can be accessed this way. In this section we delve deep into the many available, and focus on those that users will want to…

A computer without internet access is like a car without wheels, and it is not much fun. After installing Windows 10, you should connect to your home Wi-Fi as soon as you can so that you can get online. If you travel with a laptop you will also want to make use of the many free Wi-Fi hotspots at cafes, hotels, airports and train stations. Windows 10 has given wireless networking a makeover with new menus, buttons and icons. You might find this a bit confusing at first, but once you have familiarised yourself with the new features, it becomes very easy to select and connect to wireless networks. Laptops provide a keyboard hotkey to turn Wi-Fi on or off, such as F10 or F12. Make sure that Wi-Fi is…

If you share your PC with others, adding a password prevents them from logging into your account. It also protects your data if your device is stolen. There are two types of user account in Windows 10. Microsoft would – naturally – like you to log in using your Microsoft account, which allows you to access features like OneDrive and your Outlook email without having to link your account. If you do this, you’ll already have a password set up. If you’d rather not link your Microsoft account, Windows 10 allows you to use what it calls a Local account instead, what you may be used to with Windows 7 and older OSs. Although you’re prompted to create a password for this account, it’s not compulsory. If you skipped this…

Windows 10 comes with a sleek, user-friendly design, but you can easily customise your OS to suit your own tastes and preferences. There are several ways to do this, but the easiest and most obvious solution is to change the image that is displayed on the desktop. A small collection of images can be found on the disk drive, and Microsoft has bundled a few to get you started. You don’t have to stick with the preset images though; you can use your own photographs taken on a digital camera or mobile phone, and even download wallpaper images from the internet to use as your desktop background. If you have a collection of photos and would like to use them all, you do not have to manually change them every…

When you want to change the settings on your Windows PC or Surface, you’ll need to go to the Control Panel. This can be anything from reviewing system security by checking out the Windows Firewall or Windows Defender settings, to creating and modifying network connections or an incoming VPN connection. From here you can also adjust the appearance by applying themes and change how text looks, or add and remove user accounts, enable the Guest account or change account types. Control Panel is also incredibly useful when you install new hardware, and all of the Ease of Access/Accessibility settings reside here to, allowing such options as high contrast or big font, or going a step further and using voice recognition. Control Panel is your one-stop shop to get your computer…

The Start menu is a staple of Windows; a part of what techy types call the ‘traditional desktop metaphor’. The idea is that you’re pulling out a drawer on your desk, accessing everything you don't already have laid out on top. It makes it easier to organise your system and locate programs when you need them. So the uproar that occurred when Windows 8 got rid of the Start menu in favour of a screen full of apps was understandable. The way of using computers that people had grown so used to had changed, and it wasn’t for the better. Microsoft were trying to push the interface for their new phones and tablets, which while fine for touch devices, was not so great for the traditional mouse and keyboard. Thankfully,…

The Action Centre in Windows 10 is, essentially, the same as the one you had on the Windows Phone 8.1. It’s also the same thing you might have seen in other operating systems too, like Ubuntu and OS X: a quickly accessible panel that shows you all of your notifications and provides some useful options. Notifications are the little messages that pop up as you go about your business, appearing in the lower-right corner of your screen in order to inform you of some completed task, new message or reminder that you’ve set previously. If you don’t deal with them as they come in, they will stack up quietly in the background, waiting for you in the Action Centre. By making it easy for you to check all your updates…

The ability to quickly and intuitively change between different tasks as you use your computer is a fundamental part of the experience, and there are a number of tools built into Windows 10 to help you move between and manage your running applications effectively. Foremost among these is the familiar taskbar, where you can click on the icons of your running programs to switch to them, and there’s also the traditional keyboard shortcut for cycling through programs. But as well as the taskbar and the tidiness of your on-screen windows, there’s a new feature in Windows 10. Virtual desktops have been added to Windows 10, meaning that you can create and move between new screens – your wallpaper, your desktop files, but with only the programs you choose to keep…

Cortana is your own personal assistant that is built into Windows 10 and it can make executing actions and finding information much easier than it used to be with previous versions of Windows. Cortana is able to recognise your voice and interpret what you are saying, then fetch information, open web browsers and display search results. When you ask Cortana for information, sometimes the results are displayed within the Cortana panel itself. With other questions Cortana will open a web browser window to show search results from Bing. Cortana may even open a special window to show search results. What you see will depend on the question you ask and the information you want to know. It can be quite entertaining using Cortana for the first time and you should…

In our previous guide on we showcased how to set up an Email account. In particular, we demonstrated the ease in which you could attach a Google account so you could view existing emails. While we did not cover a lot of the interface’s features per-say this guide aims to address some of the omissions with a look at how to send emails with attachments. By attachments we mean documents (one’s that you may have created in Microsoft Word), photos (your favourite images) or even PDF’s (Adobe). Attaching the additional content to an email can be a great way to enhance communication with the recipient. Additionally we will also take a look at how to customise your email signature ie the signature that goes at the base of the email…

Microsoft Edge, or Project Spartan as it used to be known, is technically Microsoft’s replacement to Internet Explorer, though the latter is still available to access via the Settings option, which we will cover in the guide. As web browsers go, Microsoft Edge has a lot to offer. The standout feature has to be its annotation tool, which it calls web notes. While we will be talking about this on a subsequent guide, web notes allows you to draw on the screen with either your finger (for those blessed with touch-screens) or a mouse. With the above you can annotate a webpage by pointing to an article headline, or cut pages out to stick in other apps. All of this has large scope for social/business interaction. Microsoft Edge is also…

Internet history has caught out many people over the years. Back in the late Nineties when people started going online en masse, it wasn’t at all obvious that a record of what they had been browsing was available for other users to see. Soon, once everyone had discovered this feature, clearing internet history became a priority. In today’s technology-driven society, it’s common knowledge that the history feature exists. It can be very useful for going back to interesting websites, or that item you wanted to buy but inevitably forgot to bookmark. But the ’Private Window’ modes that won’t record anything can be even more handy. They are perfect for browsing Amazon without tipping anyone off to what kind of birthday gift you’re looking at getting. Clearing the history may still…

Microsoft has developed the Windows 10 operating system so it will be the last OS you’ll ever see or need. Windows 10 is now being deployed as a service model, which means that the operating system will evolve over time, and features will be updated as and when they come out. Upgrading will no longer be required in the traditional sense. At the core of the service model is its new Windows Store, which Microsoft hopes will eradicate the issues from previous attempts. The previous Windows 8 Store was a bit cluttered, and there was some room for improvement. Thankfully, in Windows 10, Microsoft has learned from its mistakes and made it easier for developers to create and port apps to the Windows platform. You’ll also find universal apps in…

We’re in a time where everyone has access to excellent cloud storage options to store some of or all of their personal data. Microsoft has its own cloud storage entitled OneDrive that’s available on Windows 10 by default. In this guide we’ll cover how to get the software working in Windows 10, and make the most of it on the desktop and in the browser. It’s a really good idea to get it set up, as having access to cloud storage is more important in today’s world than ever. It makes sharing files easier, allowing collaboration on work, as well as being an essential back up for important files that would be terrible to lose if your computer broke. These files can then be accessed from your phone or other…

I f you want a truly personal experience, a video chat will make the distance between you and loved ones disappear in an instant. Skype is perfect for this task because you can initiate a video chat by clicking one icon. The interface is so simple that the visuals of the participants always dominate the experience. You’ll be able to see and hear each other, and with enough bandwidth, the experience will feel exceptional the whole way through. It offers an experience that will soon turn you away from mere audio or text conversations, as they will feel far too shallow in comparison. If participants are connected to the internet, the call will be free and should work just as efficiently as traditional calls do. We’ll show you how to…

Windows Movie Maker makes piecing together your home movies easy, while also offering you a lot of great tools to make your videos look amazing. Whether you have experience editing video in Windows or not, you’ll soon find yourself importing video footage, organising and editing it down, adding voiceover narration and music, and then exporting it and sharing it online, all within Windows Movie Maker. Once footage has been imported into the software, it will be your job to edit it down to a length that you are happy with. Then through the use of the different tool tabs you can start to get creative with your footage, adding transitions and more. To get started with Windows Movie Maker, download the software for free from windows.microsoft.com/en-us/ windows-live/movie-maker. Then when you're…

With Windows 10, Microsoft has released the new Groove Music app. You can download and use it for free, but you also have access to an optional subscription-based service called Groove Music Pass. Similar to Spotify, the pass will allow you to stream or download (offline playback) from millions of tracks for the life of the subscription. This guide focuses on the other ways of getting your music into your library, rather than looking at the pass. One great feature is the ability to tap into your free online cloud-based storage service, OneDrive, which has been updated to support music. You can copy and paste music into the OneDrive folder from your computer or onto the OneDrive wesbite at onedrive.com. Once transferred/uploaded, the music will be accessible on any device,…

It used to be that creating presentations felt like a chore. Adding images and text required a certain level of knowledge before you even started and the more complex the presentation became, the harder it was to handle. PowerPoint today has been designed to let you work on a blank canvas and all of the tools included are as easy to use as possible. We will take you through the creation of a simple presentation and also touch on the more sophisticated features. The focus on ease of use and the fact that the content you are creating always dominates the visuals are what makes PowerPoint so usable today, but some knowledge is useful to get you started. Whether you want to create a flyer or need to walk through…

In our current dour economic climate, careful budgeting matters more than ever and so apps that can help you better manage your finances virtually pay for themselves. In this section of the Windows Store you can find apps that deliver up-to-the-minute financial news, apps for internet banking, apps to convert currencies and apps to help you monitor your stocks and shares. As you will soon discover, though, the majority of the apps on offer are designed to help you get your finances in order, monitor your incomings and outgoings, and set yourself budgets to ensure that you stay safely in the black. As is always the case, many of the best apps are completely free or at least present the most essential features for free (requiring paid-for upgrades to unlock…

This is by far the most curious of all of the Windows Store sections. Mainly US-centric, the Government section throws up a variety of apps that range from teaching you the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights to telling who’s on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. There is also a real-time tracker for the world’s population (you’ll be alarmed at how quickly it clocks up new arrivals before your eyes, to such an extent that you can almost feel the Earth’s crust creaking!) and plenty of armed forces apps that teach you about the work that the Navy and the Air Force carry out across the world. You will also find apps dedicated to significant politicians such as Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama, as well as party policies and…

Productivity is an area where we can all improve in our working lives and there is certainly no excuse for slacking off as far as some of the offerings in this section of the Windows Store are concerned. The main theme in the Productivity section tends to be cloud storage services that you can access through the respective app; set up an account quickly and easily, then upload your files to free allocated storage space in order to share them with colleagues for group collaboration purposes. But that’s not all, because you will also find handy utility apps that can help you out in virtually every area of your work and enable you to motor through your working day. To get you started, we have even picked out a useful…

Social networks are a great way to stay in touch with friends, relatives or colleagues online and keep you in a social loop even if you are unable to meet up in person. Most social networks enable you to post comments, share images and other assorted media, and chat with your friends and family for free, so they’re often worth investing time in. Obviously, a certain degree of care must be taken when signing up to social networks to configure your settings so as to protect personal information and privacy, but by and large, if used correctly, then social networking apps can be fun places to inhabit. Here we have outlined the main must-have social networking apps to install on your PC, including the big hitters like FaceBook, Twitter and…

Perhaps not so much a toolbox, more a disorganised drawer in the sideboard where everything without a natural home is chucked, the Tools section of the Windows Store is the place to find all manner of odds and ends that can serve a purpose in your life. As you can see from the ones we’ve selected here, they include note-taking apps into which you can jot down whatever you want and pin it to your desktop, voicerecording apps through which you can record dictations, and calculators that can perform even the most complex of tasks in a sniff. Also featured are apps that help you monitor your internet connection speed to determine if you are getting the broadband speeds that you are paying for or to throw up any undetected…