From time to time, there is a strange bug that happens in Windows 10. After a build upgrade, or after some cumulative updates, drives are displayed twice in the navigation pane (the left folder pane) of File Explorer. A number of users have already faced this issue after upgrading to Windows 10 build 14267, which is the latest Insider Preview build as of this writing.
Category: Windows 10
Change the toast notification timeout in Windows 10
Windows 10 has replaced all kinds of notifications including the good old balloon tooltips with a new Metro-style toast notification. It pops up for all events and activities you do on your PC. For example, it shows if you have installed some new app, received an email message in the "Universal" Mail app or have inserted a USB flash drive. Here is how you can change the toast notification timeout in Windows 10.
Change or disable toast notification sound in Windows 10
When Windows 10 shows a notification, e.g. when you need to update your Defender signatures or need to perform some action related to system maintenance, a sound is played by default. Many readers asked me via Facebook and email how to change this sound. Thanks to the new Settings app, which has many options from the classic Control Panel (but not everything yet), this simple operation has become very confusing. Here is what you need to do.
Backup and restore Wireless network profiles in Windows 10
In Windows 10, it is possible to create a backup of your wireless network configuration. This will include authorized SSIDs, saved passwords and other information related to wireless network profiles stored on your PC such as the authentication used. All this information will be stored in a file, so you will be able to restore your wireless connection configuration quickly from that file after you reinstall Windows 10.
Filter wireless networks in Windows 10 to create a black list or white list
There is a secret feature of Windows 10 which allows you to whitelist wireless networks you have in your vicinity. It is useful if you have lots of wireless networks in your area with lots of access points. Every time you connect to your wireless network, you will see a cluttered list of SSIDs (network names). If you will create a white list for these networks, you will be able to filter them and see only your own WiFi.
Batch unblock files downloaded from Internet in Windows 10
When you download files from the Internet, Windows adds zone information to it and stores it in the file's NTFS alternate steam. Windows 10 shows you a security warning every time you try to open it. Some file types are fully blocked from opening. SmartScreen, a security feature of Windows 10, causes this behavior. But even if SmartScreen is turned off, you still get a warning and need to unblock downloaded files. While you can unblock your files one by one as described here How to unblock files downloaded from Internet in Windows 10, it is a very time consuming operation. If you need to unblock a bunch of files downloaded from Internet in Windows 10, here is how you can do it.
Windows 10 build 14267 is out for Fast Ring insiders
The Fast ring of the Windows Insider program is really fast now: new builds are coming very quickly. Almost few days ago we got build 14257, and a newer build released just now. This time it is Windows 10 build 14267.
Forget a Wi-Fi network profile in Windows 10
Almost every PC or device running Windows today has wireless (Wi-Fi) capability. In Windows, when you connect to a Wi-Fi network, a profile gets created and saved on the PC. If you've connected to a number of wireless networks, Windows 10 will store their parameters. These known networks can have their passwords remembered. But if you are never going to connect to a particular Wi-Fi network again, you can remove its wireless network profile. This makes Windows 10 forget the saved settings of Wi-Fi network.
Check the system drive for errors in Windows 10
Checking the system drive for errors is an essential task when you want to resolve various issues with the operating system and the file system. If you face some drive read or write errors in Windows 10 or performance issues when doing disk operations, it is a good idea to check your system drive for errors.
Prevent Windows 10 from resetting your default apps
Windows 10 is well known for resetting apps which the user has set by default. After various updates and build upgrades, Windows 10 resets the default browser back to Edge, the email app back to the Universal Windows Platform Mail app. The same happens for Photos, Groove Music and so on. If you are getting annoyed by having your file associations reset to default Metro apps after certain updates, here is how you can try to prevent it.
