We continue with the review of articles dedicated to the May update of Windows 10 that is monopolizing the week talking about the settings to be changed after installing the update which, as seen, is very large and full of news. Let's see what are the things to do to adjust some new settings in order to optimize the use of computer resources after updating Windows 10, solve any problems, enable some new functions and disable unnecessary ones.
In an ultra synthetic way, after the installation of Windows 10 1903 May 2019 Update, the following checks / modifications must be made.
1) Check that all programs work as before
Windows 10 may have disabled software detected as incompatible.
In case some program doesn't work well anymore, try to reinstall it or try a new version.
If this does not solve, try using the "program compatibility troubleshooting" tool.
In the case of problems that do not seem to be possible to solve today, it is better to go back to the previous build and uninstall the update.
This can be done in a simple way from the Settings> Update and Security> Recovery menu, by pressing the button to return to the previous version of Windows 10.
Note that this option disappears after 10 days.
2) Check that the device drivers are working properly
If there are problems with some poorly functioning devices such as audio or printer, it may be the fault of a driver update that is not compatible.
It is then better to go to restore the previous version of the driver.
To do this, right-click on the Windows 10 Start button to open the Device Manager .
Locate the device driver with problems, press on it with the right button to enter the Properties and then, in the Driver tab, press on Driver Restore .
This way you can go back to the version of the driver that previously worked.
3) Check the default programs to open the files
If the update changes the configuration of the default programs, check the settings to reset your favorite programs to open the files.
Then go to Settings from the Start menu and then to System> Default Apps .
4) Check the configuration on how future updates are installed
In particular, go to Settings> Update and security> Windows Update, go to Advanced Options> Delivery Optimization> Advanced Options .
On this screen, you can limit bandwidth when updates are downloaded, which is a good option if you are using a slow internet connection.
Keep in mind that from the May 2019 update, in Windows 10 you will see an icon on the notification bar near the clock every time the system installs new updates from Windows Update.
5) Check the notifications in the Notification Center or Operations Center
The action center icon is the message-shaped icon located to the right of the clock on the desktop.
With the May 2019 update, Windows 10 has improved this operations center by showing more notifications to warn of operations to be completed or new events / messages from the various applications.
You can then press on the new button of the notification assistant, which is located at the top of the column or at the bottom of the quick control button panel, to stop receiving all or only some non-priority notifications.
This configuration can be done better from the Settings> System> Notification Assistant menu where it is also possible to schedule a scheduled notification cut-off time and also choose which notifications should be considered priority.
6) If the Windows 10 update assistant has been used, it can be uninstalled now by going to Control Panel> Programs and Features .
7) Check if the search bar and Cortana work.
If that doesn't work, open the registry key editor at the path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Search
Check that the BingSearchEnabled and CortanaEnabled values exist and are set to 1.
Conversely, if you don't need it, you can disable Cortana in Windows 10 (but also see point 10 to do it first)
8) Free up space by removing the Windows 10 update installation files
As explained, in this way you can delete the files of the previous version, saved in the Windows.old folder, deleting over 20 GB of disk space.
If there are no particular problems of insufficient disk space, however, it is better to let Windows 10 free this space automatically after 10 days from the installation of the update and do nothing.
9) Check that system restore is active .
The update and the new installation may have disabled this important security tool.
To reactivate the system restore in Windows 10 you can go to Control Panel> System, press the System protection link on the left, then check that the system protection service is active for the system disk (usually disk C) .
If not, select the system disk, press on Configure and activate system protection, which would be the restore functionality.
10) Disable monitoring and telemetry services
For greater privacy and also to save computer memory, it is advisable to always disable the control services that Microsoft activates after each installation and after each update.
To do this, it is better to use a program like O&O Shutup 10 or copme WDP, among the best automatic programs to block data collection and monitoring of Windows 10, which do everything by themselves, they are very up to date and work well without giving problems.
11) Activate the Timeline
Since it is perhaps the most relevant and visible function of Windows 10 1903, it is better to activate the Timeline, that is, the history of operations useful for resuming work from where you left off.
This history is activated by pressing the activity button next to the Start button.
12) Check your security settings
In Windows 10 there is now a Windows Security Center with all the options to keep your PC protected in every aspect.
A guide on Windows 10 Security is in another article.
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