In Windows 8, Microsoft introduced a feature for mouse users which can be accessed with a right click on the bottom left corner of the screen - the Win+X menu. In Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, you can simply right click on the Start button to show it. Although this menu is far from being a Start Menu replacement, it does have shortcuts to useful administrative tools and system functions. In this article, we will see how to use and customize this menu in Windows 10.
Category: Windows 10
Delete Windows.old folder in Windows 10
If you choose to install Windows 10 on the same drive where an existing installation is already present, the setup program will create a folder named Windows.old in the root of the drive. This folder will contain a full backup of a previous installation of Windows 8 or Windows 7, including the boot manager and installed apps. This is very handy if you plan to uninstall the currently installed Windows version and return to the previously installed release. It can also be useful if you forgot to transfer some files or settings to the new installation. However, if you are already finished with the migration, then Windows.old just wastes your disk space for no reason. Here is how you should delete it and why it is better to use the built-in OS tools instead of simply deleting the folder from Explorer.
How to disable Cortana in Windows 10
Windows 10 comes with a new feature ported over from Windows Phone - a Siri-like voice assistant called Cortana. You can ask Cortana to look up information using your speech. On a mobile phone, it makes sense to use such a feature. However on a PC where your microphone is far from your mouth and you have a full keyboard at your disposal, it doesn't make sense to use Cortana. You can look up the same information faster. So if you do not plan to use Cortana or get annoyed by it, then here is how you can disable Cortana in Windows 10. Also, we will see how to get rid of the Cortana icon/search box in the taskbar.
Change Windows Update settings in Windows 10
In Windows 10 build 9926 Windows Update settings are locked to "Install updates automatically (recommended)". The user cannot change this behavior. This is not acceptable even if it's a preview build. Thankfully, it is possible to change it with a tweak which we will see right now.
Get Calculator from Windows 8 and Windows 7 in Windows 10
In Windows 10, Microsoft ditched the good old calculator app and replaced it with a new Modern app, which we wrote about recently here: Run Calculator in Windows 10 directly. Many people are not happy with this change because the old Calc.exe loaded faster, and was more usable for mouse/keyboard users. If you would like to get the classic Calculator app back in Windows 10, it is possible. In this article, we will take a look at the Old Calculator for Windows 10 program which will allow you to get Calculator from Windows 8 and Windows 7 in Windows 10.
Switch between the old and new Start menu in Windows 10 build 9926
In Windows 10 build 9978, Microsoft implemented a Start menu, which could be resized by the user and showed installed apps along with Live tiles. Also, the user was able to switch between the Start screen and the Start menu using a checkbox in the Taskbar Properties dialog. However, in the recently released Windows 10 build 9926 there is again a new Start menu, formerly known by its code name "Continuum". It replaces the previous version of the Start menu for now. In this article, we will see how to switch between the old Start menu with the Start screen and the new "Continuum" Start menu.
Move the Users folder in Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7
Right after installation, Windows 10 creates several folders in the root of the system drive, which is usually the C: drive. These folders include Program Files (and Program Files (x86) for 64-bit OSes), the Windows folder, Users and the hidden ProgramData folder. The Users folder contains profiles and personal folders like Desktop, Downloads, Documents for all user accounts in your Windows OS. If you have a small system partition, or if other Windows user accounts on your PC have huge files in their Documents or Desktop folders, the free space on the system drive can quickly reduce. If you face this issue, then you can move the Users folder to another partition or disk. This article will show you how to do it. This method is applicable to Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7.
How to install a MUI language CAB file in Windows 10
In the previous post I collected and posted here a bunch of direct links to MUI language packs for Windows 10. It is useful for users who need to install them on multiple PCs. They will save their Internet bandwidth and time by not downloading them again on each PC. Instead, they can save the offline package and use it for future installs. In this article, we shall see how to install these downloaded language packs.
Enable new login screen in Windows 10 build 9926
After Windows 10 Build 9901 leaked to the internet, enthusiasts discovered a new login screen. That screen, but a bit updated, exists in Windows 10 build 9926. Today we will see how to enable it and test it yourself.
There is a new pane for Date and Time in Windows 10 Build 9926
Like in the previously leaked build 9901, the public Technical Preview Windows 10, build 9926, comes with a new Date & Time pane in Windows 10, which is hidden by default. It only works after you do a special Registry tweak. I would like to share with you how to enable it, so you can try it for yourself.
