5 Essential tips for Windows 10 (Part 1)
5 Essential tips for Windows 10 (Part 1)
Windows 10 has been out for a while now, so far it’s on over 76 million machinesin over 192 countries, mainly because it’s a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8.x usersuntil July 29th, 2016 that is. It’s an exciting and anxious time for 1.5 billion Windows users around the world. However, with these ‘5 Essential tips for Windows 10’ I hope to remove the anxiety and guide you through prosperity with Microsoft’s latest greatest operating system, Windows 10.
1. The Start Menu: Finally, the Start Menu has come back to Windows…
For some strange reason Microsoft decided to get rid of the beloved Start Menu, where a list of frequently used applications and documents, in Window 8. They tried to bring it back in Windows 8.1, but it was too late. However, in Window 10 the newly redesigned Start Menu has returned. It is a great blend of the simplicity of Windows 7 and the beauty of Windows 8. To launch the friendly neighborhood, Start Menu do the following:
a. Click or tap on the start button on the bottom left corner of your screen and there it is.
You may hear the old television show from the seventies, staring a very young John Travolta, theme song start playing in your head “Welcome back…”
2. Hey Cortana: Say hello to your little friend…
Cortana is a voice activated personal assistant, Microsoft’s version of Apple’s Siri. To get started with Cortana do the following:
a. Type a question into the search box
b. Click on the Notebook icon
c. Click Settings.
d. Turn on “Hey Cortana.”
e. Click the “Learn my Voice” button so that Cortana can become familiar with your voice and have fun
3. Contact Support: ‘Someone please call 911…’
Unless your computer catches on fire there is no real need to call 911. However, if you can’t find an answer to a Windows 10 question in “An Essential Guide to Windows 10”, you can use Contact support. Contact support provides you online help for all of your Microsoft account and products like Xbox, Skype and Windows store. In Contact support you can chat online with a Microsoft Answer Tech or even schedule them to call you on a specific date and time based on your availability. To launch Contact support, do the following:
a. Click on the Start Menu
b. Select All Programs
c. Select Contact Support
d. Select Accounts & billing or Service and Apps
4. Microsoft Edge: “A whole new world…”
There is a famous theme song from a children’s animated film that describes “a whole new world,” and with Microsoft Edge, Microsoft has stepped out onto a ledge into a more intuitive, interactive and, dare I say it, fun world. Microsoft Edge formally known as a Project Spartan, is the newest way to surf the web and much more. To quickly launch Microsoft
a. In the search or ‘Ask me anything’ box type in Microsoft Edge and select Microsoft Edge
b. It is the only web browser that allows you to take notes, highlight, and doodle directly on webpages
c. Microsoft Edge has the ability to save articles and content you may want to read later by selecting Add to favorites and reading list , Reading list , and then Add .
d. For a clean and simple layout, select Reading view in the address bar. This will bring whatever you are reading front-and-center without any unnecessary ads
5. Privacy: “I always feel like somebody’s watching me”
The internet has been buzzing about Windows 10 privacy. In the words of the Rock and
Roll inductees, ‘Don’t believe the hype.’ With the controversial privacy settings, Microsoft wants to get you know you better just like every company we all interactive every moment of our lives. These settings are turn on by default, allowing every app to have access to your name, photos and other account information however, there is something you can do about it…disable them. To disable or turn off the settings do the following:
a) Click on the Start Menu
b) Select Settings
c) Select Privacy
d) From the General to the Background apps tab you can choose what app has access to what information.
The ‘5 Essential tips for Windows 10’ is just the tip of the iceberg making your experience with Windows 10 easier. There are much more essential and fun tips in “An Essential Guide to Windows 10” get your paperback copy from smiles.amazon.com and where Foundation Hope for Haiti Inc. will receive 5% of the proceeds of the sales price to continue its amazing work in improving healthcare, strengthening schools and nurturing communities in Haiti.
Yanatha Desouvre is an author, poet, speaker, an experienced Information Technology professional currently at the University of Pennsylvania and an adjunct professor at Chestnut Hill College. He has been passionate about serving others through technology and through the arts for almost two decades. Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Desouvre grew up in Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia, Pa. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration concentrating on Management Information Systems and Marketing at Drexel University. He received his M.B.A concentrating on Marketing and Mass Communication and Media Management at Lynn University. Desouvre has written eight books: Walk Through this Journey: Volumes One and Two (The Next Step Forward); A Family Affair; La Hermana mayor; La Hermana menor; Grande soeur; Petite soeur and Savor the Moments: Inspired by True Stories. He co-wrote the # 1 best-selling children’s book Big Sister, Little Sister and has created mobile apps for iOS devices and Android devices: “Pre-K Math,” “Proud to be Haitian,” “Proud to be Jewish,” “Kids Eat Free HD,” “Pocket Poetry,” “i Love My Dog,” and “Proud Jamaican.” Desouvre is currently working on his debut novel To Whom Much is Given (expected publishing date April 16, 2016).
Connect via LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanatha and follow on Twitter @yanatha