Millions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers will be updated in the coming months with Windows 10 and there will be a likely mass change as the operation, as explained, is free of charge if done within the first year starting from July 29, 2015. In discovering the new functions of Windows 10 we start immediately by changing some basic options .
Although updating the computer retains some features and some customizations of previous versions, it is likely that some have been reset and need to be reconfigured.
In addition, Windows 10 has some new features that immediately deserve a direct look.
READ ALSO: Download Windows 10 as an update or free download of the ISO
1) Set up automatic login
If every time you turn on the computer you are asked for the password and if that computer is used only by us at home, you can definitely set up automatic login without a password request in Windows 10.
Briefly, press the right button of the mouse on the Start button, open Run and run the control userpasswords2 command and, in the window that opens, remove the cross to the option " to use this computer you need ... name and password ".
2) See more details in the Task Manager
The task manager in Windows 10 is called Task Manager and is similar to that of Windows 8.
Press the right mouse button on the taskbar, open the Task Manager and then click on " More details " to see the background processes in addition to the open programs.
3) Configure the Windows 10 Start menu
The Windows 10 Start menu is a mix between that of Windows 7 and 8, with the list of installed applications and programs.
The Start menu does not have many configuration options, those that are found by pressing Settings, in the Personalization section.
From here you can enable or disable the display of recently used programs which are comfortable to keep.
If you want to hide one of the recent programs, you can right click to ask not to list that specific program in this list.
Since the list of programs cannot be organized into categories as happened in Windows 7, and since for now it is impossible to add programs to the list of the most used, it will be necessary to organize the application icons in order to keep the most used ones up.
Going to the list of all programs, you can right-click on your favorite ones to add them to Start and then, from the right section of the Start menu, move them up using the mouse.
The most used programs can also be placed on the taskbar, to always have them at hand.
We will talk about the Start menu, its limits and its options more extensively in a specific article.
4) Manage Quick Access in File Explorer
The favorites of Windows 8 have been replaced with the Quick Access section there is practically the same thing.
The main difference between Quick Access and Favorites is that Windows automatically adds files and folders to the Quick Access section based on usage.
However, you can also edit the list manually and add specific Quick Access folders by pressing on it with the right button and finding the relative option.
The folders present permanently in quick access have the drawing of a pin in the lower left of their icon.
READ ALSO: Delete or hide recent files, most used apps and history in Windows 10
5) Configure notifications
After installing Windows 10 you will immediately notice a new icon in the notification area (near the clock at the bottom right) that has the design of a message.
This function is useful if you are using the internal Windows applications such as the Email one or the calendar.
You will then be notified of the arrival of new messages in this section.
At the beginning it can signal programs and drivers to update if necessary.
If you are not using Windows 10 apps, you can disable the notification system on the system.
To do this, tap the notification icon, open the settings and go to System -> Notifications and actions .
6) Activate or deactivate Cortana
In Windows 10 there is a voice assistant similar to Siri of the iPhone and Google Now of Android, called Cortana.
The voice assistant is activated by pressing on the search bar in the system tray and works using any microphone, speaking by voice.
The nice thing is that you can activate the voice assistant by saying " hey Cortana! " Into the microphone.
To disable Cortana, if you don't have a microphone or are not interested in it, press the gear button and turn off the first switch.
7) Turn off Bing's search
One of the most welcome and expected improvements of Windows 10 is the search bar which is finally fast and smart.
The only problem is that the searches also include the results from the Bing search engine, which in Italy is very poor.
Since Google cannot be set up (unless you install external tools), it is worth turning it off.
Then press on the search bar, press on the button with gear and then disable the online search and web results.
8) Check the app associations and set the default browser
Associations between files and programs have been simplified in Windows 10, at least for the most important apps.
It is worth going immediately to check and set your favorite programs to open images, photos, music, videos and, above all, the default browser.
Although the new Edge browser is not bad, I think it is appropriate for everyone to set Google Chrome or Firefox as the default browser for Windows 10.
These options are found by pressing the Start menu- > Settings -> System> default apps .
9) Configure Microsoft Edge browser
Although not set as the default browser, Edge still deserves to be tried and used as a secondary browser for quick searches.
In the guide you can find functions and tricks for Microsoft Edge in Windows 10
10) Check that the antivirus is active and working
If the antivirus does give problems, you could also uninstall it for now, and use the internal Windows 10 antivirus, Windows Defender.
11) Avoid rebooting after updates.
In Windows 10 Home updates are always installed automatically without the possibility of disabling them.
In WIndows 10 Pro, however, they can be delayed.
What is important to configure right away is the option to prevent the PC from restarting immediately after an update, thus interrupting all work.
Then open, from the Start menu, the Settings -> Update and security -> Windows Update, press on Advanced Options and change the option from Automatic to Notify restart schedule .
Note : While we're at it, in this section of advanced update options, click on " Choose how to deliver the updates " and deactivate the sending of updates to other PCs on the internet (also leave the one of the PCs in the local network), which is something curious we will talk about again.
12) Stop sharing wifi
One option of Windows 10 that we will discover in the next articles is the sharing of the Wifi called Wifi Sensor .
This a new feature in Windows 10 automatically shares access to a wifi network with Skype, Facebook and Outlook contacts.
It can be useful in some scenarios, for example in an office, but in general it is better to disable it.
To do this, open the settings from the Start menu, go to Network and internet -> Wi-fi> Manage Wi-fi settings .
From here, disable the options under the wording: Share the selected networks with .
