Windows 8.1 Archives - Page 18 of 25

How to open Restore and Refresh recovery options with one click

Refresh your PC is a feature of Windows 8.1 which attempts to solve system problems by replacing system files without affecting user files. You might be asked to insert discs or recovery media that came with your PC. Check the info that came with your PC to see if your PC manufacturer provided these discs or media. In some cases, you might have created them when you first set up your PC. Apps you installed from websites and DVDs will be removed. Apps that came with your PC and apps you installed from the Windows Store will be reinstalled. Windows puts a list of removed apps on your desktop after refreshing your PC.

Remove everything and reinstall Windows is another recovery option shipped with Windows 8.1. It will completely reinstall your OS. All of your personal files will be deleted and your settings will be reset. All apps that you installed will be removed. Only apps that came with your PC will be reinstalled.

If you want to open Restore and Refresh recovery options with one click, here is the simple tutorial how to create the appropriate shortcut.

How to change the Windows Defender update frequency

If you are a Windows 8.1 user and happy with its default antivirus protection, which is provided by Windows Defender, then you can tweak its update frequency to get the updated security signatures faster. By default, Windows Defender updates them once in a day. There is an easy way to change this behavior.

How to open Webcam privacy settings in Windows 8.1 with one click

Webcam privacy settings is part of the PC Settings application which allows you to customize the privacy of your web camera. Here you can prevent installed apps from using the camera or specify which apps are able to use it.
The good thing about Windows 8.1 is that it allows you to create a shortcut to open these settings directly with one click.

How to open Microphone privacy settings in Windows 8.1 with one click

Microphone privacy settings is part of the PC Settings application which allows you to customize the privacy of your microphone. Here you can prevent installed apps from using the microphone or specify which apps are able to use it.
The good thing about Windows 8.1 is that it allows you to create a shortcut to open these settings directly with one click.

How to remove previously used user picture avatar images in Windows 8.1

If you changed your Windows 8.1 user account picture, that is, the avatar several times, the images you used will be shown on the right side of your user account settings.

If you don't plan to use them again, there is no reason to keep them there. But Windows 8.1 provides no way to remove unused user pictures. Here is very simple way to delete unused user images.

Create a shortcut to open Location settings of Privacy in Windows 8.1

Location settings is a part of Privacy options in Windows 8.1, which allows you to customize which apps will have access to your location data. Here you can turn off the location detection globally or customize settings for specific apps.
The good thing about Windows 8.1 is that it allows you to create a shortcut to open these settings directly with one click.

How to disable automatic repair in Windows 8.1 and Windows 8

One of the new features introduced in Windows 8 during startup is the automatic repair feature which tries to fix booting related issues automatically. If your PC crashes twice consecutively or fails to boot, it will launch the automatic repair procedure and will try to fix the issue which caused the crash. It runs chkdsk and also runs System File Checker (sfc.exe) to restore any corrupt files.

While this feature can be useful for the average user, in some situations, this automatic repair can annoy you very much. For example, if you have modified any Windows files for tweaking such as the custom boot screen for Windows 8.1, then all your changes will also be reverted by automatic repair. Sometimes, it has also been known to get stuck in a repair loop. Another most important reason that you wouldn't want this is because Windows tells you nothing about what exactly it is doing while it's repairing. So it's better in such cases to not let Windows do any automatic repairs.

Let's see how we can disable automatic repair. It's quite simple

How to create a shortcut to open Privacy options in Windows 8.1

For any PC user, privacy can be a concern. Privacy options in the PC Settings application allow you to specify which data will be shared with Modern apps and sites you visit using Internet Explorer. Here you can prevent apps from accessing you personal data, advertising ID, turn off the Smart Screen filter and some other settings.

Let's create a shortcut to open these useful settings with one click

How to set different icons for the open and closed folder in Explorer

With Windows Vista, there was a little change in Explorer which has remained the same in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 or Windows 8: it shows the same icon for open and closed folders.

In earlier releases of Windows before Vista, when a folder was expanded in the navigation pane of Explorer, it used to show a different icon. This change makes it more difficult to see which folder you are viewing by just looking at the icons. This change also affects the tree view in Registry Editor and in the Windows 7 Start Menu All Programs view.

If you preferred having distinct icons for open and closed folder states in Explorer, then there's good news for you - it can be done. I will show you how to set the folder icon for a closed folder in Explorer of Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and Vista. The method is the same for all these operating systems.

How to create a shortcut to open Display settings in Windows 8.1

Display settings in Windows 8.1 is a part of the PC Settings application which allows you to change the display resolution, screen orientation and even the size of the text and icons.
These settings waere created to help Tablet users tune up their display easily with a touch friendly interface.
You can create a special shortcut to open Display settings in Windows 8.1 directly with one click.