Windows 10 Archives

Open-Shell: Regain Your Start Menu in Windows and Much More

The Start menu in Windows 8 was its most strikingly different feature. While it was tamed down a little in Windows 10, it’s still quite startling if you’re upgrading from, say, Windows 7.

Unfortunately, that tiled Start screen leaves many with a very negative first impression — a first impression that goes on to color their entire Windows experience.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Open-Shell (formerly Classic Shell) is free software that gives you your favorite Start menu back, as well as restoring and adding functionality to Windows Explorer.

How To Back Up Windows 10

I’m sure you’re aware by now that I’m a huge fan of backing up.

Microsoft Windows includes several tools that, used together, can provide a backup strategy to protect you from most things that can go wrong.

Let’s review what it means to use those tools together properly and get you backed up. We’ll also review the impact of Microsoft’s decision to phase out one of those tools.

Tip of the Day: Desktop Peek

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Tip of the Day: Delay Updates in Windows 10

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Microsoft, We Deserve Better

In recent weeks, I’ve seen calls from several sources suggesting that Microsoft stop, take a breath, and seriously review their update process.

I agree. This madness must end. Or at least slow down.

Will My Old Computer Run Windows 10?

Hi Leo; I have an old HP computer with Windows Vista. What do I need to do, short of buying a new computer?

As with so many things … it depends.

I’ll review what’s necessary to run Windows 10, and then we’ll examine a couple of alternatives.

Should I Install the Latest Windows 10 Update?

As I write this, the most recent Windows 10 feature update has been released. It’s in that in-between state right now: you can get the update manually right now by downloading it from Microsoft, or you can wait a week or so for it to start rolling out automatically via the normal Windows Update mechanism.

Or, you might be one of those who don’t want the update at all — at least not yet.

The question of the hour is, of course, do you?

Should I Upgrade to Windows 8.1 Instead of Windows 10?

After reading the most recent article about Windows 7 support updates ending in 2020, what are your thoughts about moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 versus switching to Windows 10?

I have been very content with Windows 7, even more so than with Windows XP, but my adult-daughter told me several years ago that I might not be happy with Windows 10 and should remain where I am at.

My strong recommendation is that if you switch, you switch to Windows 10.

There are several reasons, not the least of which is often referred to as the informal “every other version” rule for Windows.

Resetting Windows 10

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How Do I Figure Out My Windows Edition?

The Windows “edition” determines what features and functionality are included in a specific installation of Windows.

The “Home” edition is the most common in consumer installations; the “Pro” edition has a few more features (and hence I generally recommend it over Home, even when used in the home); and then there are Enterprise and Educational editions that are tailored for those environments.

But which one do you have?

It’s easy to find out.

How Do I Change the Default Mail Program in Windows?

When viewing some websites, I want to send them an email for whatever reason. I click “contact us”, a window opens and I type my question. When I press “send”, I realize that the email is being sent using Outlook, and as a result I am asked to setup a POP address etc. I prefer to send and receive my messages using my Gmail account. Can you tell me how I can set it up so that when sending a message as explained above, Gmail will come up as my email carrier?

Chances are that page was set up using a “mailto:” link that instructs your web browser to send an email using your PC. The most common approach assumes you have a desktop email program like Microsoft Office’s Outlook, Thunderbird, or other installed, or that you’re using the Mail program that comes as part of Windows.

If you’re using web-based email like Gmail, Outlook.com, or Yahoo! Mail, things get more complex.

How Do I Upgrade Windows from 32-bit to 64-bit?

I’m using Windows 10, 32-bit on a computer with 64-bit hardware. How do I upgrade to 64-bit Windows? I have 10 GB of RAM on my computer.

This question continues to pop up, even after all this time.

The news is mixed.

The good news is that 10GB is plenty of RAM for 64-bit Windows. By running 32-bit, you’ve only been using, at most, four gigabytes of your memory.

Unfortunately, the path to get there from here isn’t as easy as we might want.

Tip of the Day: Log In to Windows 10 Using a Microsoft Account

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How Do I Uninstall and Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 10?

Because it’s so tightly intertwined with Windows itself, repairing Internet Explorer (IE) by uninstalling and reinstalling has always been a somewhat obscure process. With the advent of Windows 10, that process changed. It’s no more or less obscure; it’s just different.

Uninstalling IE can be marginally helpful if you never use it, but by resetting some of the software and settings reinstalling can be a useful diagnostic step if you’re having problems.

Uninstalling and Reinstalling Internet Explorer in Windows 10

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Tip of the Day: Sign in With a PIN (or Not)

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Tip of The Day: Choose Command Prompt Over PowerShell

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How Do I View the Contents of My Hidden D: Drive?

In the past I’ve had what was called a recovery drive on my system, D:. Now, with Windows 10, I no longer have D:, but the recovery partition is still there. How do I view what’s in it?

As we’ve discussed in other articles, machines with Windows 10 installed frequently have multiple partitions. One or more of those partitions is typically labelled as a “recovery partition”.

While in the past you may have seen such partitions assigned a drive letter like D:, there’s no requirement that it always be that letter. In fact, there’s no requirement that it be assigned a drive letter at all.

Recovery partitions not having a drive letter is actually a good thing.