6 easy ways to speed up Windows 10

Windows 10 may be practically brand-new, but it still suffers from some typical Windows performance issues -- especially if you're running it on an older machine. Here are some quick, easy ways to improve your PC's performance on the new operating system without swapping out your hardware. (Most of these tricks will also work on older versions of Windows.)

Go opaque

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Windows 10's new Start menu is sexy and see-through, but that transparency will cost you some (slight) resources. To reclaim those resources, you can disable transparency in the Start menu, taskbar, and action center: Open the Settings menu and go to Personalization > Colors and toggle off Make Start, taskbar, and action center transparent.

No special effects

Making the Start menu, taskbar, and action center transparent is one thing, but Windows 10 still has a lot of other snazzy, built-in special effects. To really go bare-bones on the special effects, right-click the Start button and click System.

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Click Advanced system settings to open the System Properties menu, and then, under Performance, click Settings...

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

This will open the Performance Options menu. In the Visual Effects tab, either choose Adjust for best performance to turn off all unnecessary animations and special effects, or choose Custom: and deselect the visual effects you think can live without. When you're finished, click OK to apply your changes.

Disable Startup programs

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

If your PC is taking a long time to boot up -- and you've enabled Fast Startup and everything -- you may have too many programs starting up when you turn your computer on. To fix this, right-click on the Start button and click Task Manager. Click the Startup tab (click More details if you don't see the Startup tab) and peruse the list of programs that start up with your computer. If you see a program that doesn't need to be there, right-click it and click Disable. You can also arrange the list of programs by Startup impact, if you'd like to see the programs that are taking up the most resources (and time).

Find (and fix) the problem

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Windows 10 has a built-in performance troubleshooter that can help you find and fix any problems that might be affecting your PC's speed. To open the troubleshooter, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to Troubleshooting and under System and Security, click Run maintenance tasks.

Reduce the Boot Menu Time-out

When your computer starts up, the boot menu is displayed for a certain amount of time before the operating system loads. This gives you time to do things like start Windows in Safe Mode. You can shave a few seconds off your startup time by changing the boot menu time-out, which is set to 30 seconds by default.

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

To do this, right-click on the Start button and click Control Panel. Go to System > Advanced system settings, and, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.

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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Next to Time to display list of operating systems:, change the value from 30 seconds to 10 seconds and click OK.

Restart your PC

Is speeding up your computer as simple as...restarting it? Maybe. Restarting your PC clears out its memory and stops any processes that might be taking up resources. Also, shutting down your computer is not the same as restarting it -- shutdown is affected by Windows 10's Fast Startup, which saves a snapshot of your PC and its processes in a hiberfile for faster boot-up. Restart is not affected by Fast Startup, so if you have Fast Startup enabled, restarting your PC is the only way to fully clear the memory and shutdown processes.

Source: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/6-easy-ways-to-speed-up-windows-10/

How to Set Up Multiple Desktops in Windows 10

By Andy Rathbone from Windows 10 For Dummies

Windows 10 introduces a way to run several desktops on a single monitor. Some people connect two or more monitors to their computer so that they can double the desktop real estate. These computing enthusiasts can then view a spreadsheet on one monitor, for example, while viewing the other to write a report about the spreadsheet.

Called virtual desktops, the Windows 10 desktops can be swapped into view, letting you shift your work from one desktop to another. That can be handy for people with small monitors who want to toggle among several sets of adjacent windows, for example. Instead of juggling windows, they can just switch between desktops.

To create virtual desktops and work between them, follow these steps:

1. Click the taskbar’s Task View button and then click the words Add a Desktop.
   
   A click or tap on the Task View button, shown here, and the screen clears, showing thumbnails of all your open windows. In the bottom-right corner, shown here, you see the words Add a Desktop.
   

   Click the taskbar’s Task View button, and the words Add a Desktop appear above the taskbar.
   Click the words Add a Desktop, and a tiny desktop thumbnail immediately appears along the screen’s bottom edge, shown here.
   

   When the thumbnail of the second desktop appears, switch to it with a click.
2. Click the thumbnail of the new desktop, and your second desktop fills the screen.
   The thumbnail expands into a new desktop. The new desktop is a replica of your original desktop but without any open programs or windows.

That’s it. You’ve created a second virtual desktop and moved to it. Windows keeps your other desktop tucked away until you want to switch back to it.

Some people love virtual desktops. Other people find the whole concept needless and confusing. If your emotions lean more toward loving virtual desktops, these tips will come in handy:

• To switch between desktops, click the Task View button. When your miniature virtual desktop windows appear, click the one you want.
  
• To see a virtual desktop’s currently open windows, click the Task View button. When the miniature desktop’s appear along the screen’s bottom edge, hover your mouse pointer over a miniature desktop; the screen changes to show thumbnails of that desktop’s open windows. To revisit a window on any desktop, just click the window’s thumbnail.
  
• To close an unwanted desktop, click the Task View button, and then click the X in that desktop’s thumbnail. Any open windows on that desktop will be dumped onto your original, “real” desktop. That’s important: You won’t lose any unsaved work by accidentally closing a virtual desktop.
  
• To create even more virtual desktops, click the Task View button. When the screen shown earlier appears, click the plus sign icon in the screen’s bottom-right corner.
• Keyboard lovers can add a desktop by holding the Windows key and then pressing Ctrl+D. Your current desktop immediately disappears, replaced by a new, empty desktop. (Pressing Windows key + Tab opens the Task View mode, letting you see all of your open windows, as well as any virtual desktops.)
• To move an open window from one virtual desktop to another, press the Task View button to see the thumbnails of your open desktops. Right-click the desired window on one of the desktop thumbnails and then choose the desired desktop’s number from the pop-up menu. (The desktops are numbered in the order you created them.)
  
  Source: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-set-up-multiple-desktops-in-windows-10.html?cid=dn_article

How to use Windows 10's File History backup feature

Microsoft added a new way to access File History in Windows 10. Here's how it works.

Windows 10's File History is an easy way to get started with backing up your personal files.

The feature takes snapshots of versions of your files and stores them on an external hard drive. Over time, you build up a library of past versions that you can recover if need be. Say, for example, you really liked a sentence from the first version of a document, but you deleted it long ago and are now battling with regret. You can dip into File History, retrieve the right version of your document, and copy the sentence.

In Windows 10, you can still get at File History from the Control Panel, but there's also an easier way via the Settings app. To access this version, open the Settings app and go toUpdate & Security > Backup.

File History before it's activated in Windows 10.

Once you're there, hook up your external hard drive to Windows and then in the Settings app click the "+" next to Add a drive. You'll see a prompt to choose an external drive, choose the one you want, and that's it. File History is now archiving your data. An on/off slider will now appear under a new heading called "Automatically back up my files."

Click on More options to change File History's defaults.

By default, Windows 10's File History will back-up all the folders in your User folder. To add other folders to File History, or to remove some, click on More options under the on/off slider and scroll down to "Back up these folders."

File History via the Settings app makes it easy to remove folders from your back-up list.

From here, you can add a folder by clicking the "+" at the top of the list. To remove a folder scroll down to find it, click on it to highlight, and then click the Remove button.

Below that list you can also create a list of folders to specifically exclude, or stop backing up to the currently selected drive and choose another one. You can also select how often File History backs up your files—the default is every hour—and how long Windows stores your revisions.

Once File History is enabled, a neat new trick to access older versions of a file is to right-click on it in File Explorer, and then select Properties. In the new window that opens, select the Previous Versions tab for quick access to archival versions of your file.

The new operating system is full of handy little features like this. For more tips, check out out list of the best tricks, tips and tweaks for Windows 10.

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2974385/windows/how-to-use-windows-10s-file-history-backup-feature.html

How to Combine Images into One PDF File in Windows

PDFs were designed to be a universal, easy-to-read document format, and they serve that purpose well. If you have a collection of images–say, documents you scanned into your computer as JPEGs–you can combine them into a PDF document for easy sharing.
Windows 10 now includes an option to print to a PDF file natively in File Explorer. You can simply select a bunch of image files and print them to a PDF file directly within File Explorer. If you’re using Windows 10, start with the first section below.
If you use Windows 7 or 8, the procedure is the same as in Windows 10, but you have to install a third-party tool to be able to accomplish the same task. We discuss this tool in the third section below.

How to Print to a PDF File in Windows 10

To combine a group of images into a PDF file in Windows 10, first you need to make sure your files are listed in File Explorer in the order you want them to appear in the PDF file. You might have to rename them so they get sorted the way you want.
Once you have your images in the right order, select them all and right-click on them. Select “Print” from the popup menu.





The Print Pictures dialog box displays. Select “Microsoft Print to PDF” from the “Printer” drop-down list. If you don’t see that option in the list, see the next section for information on activating it. Then, continue with the process from here.





Use the right and left arrow button below the image to scroll through the images that will be added to the PDF file. Click the “Options” link in the lower-right corner of the dialog box to access additional options for the PDF file.
NOTE: The images may look cut off, but don’t worry. We’ll show you how to fix that a bit later in this article.





On the Print Settings dialog box, you can choose to sharpen the images for printing, if you know the PDF file will be printed. If you also know you will be printing the PDF file on your own printer most of the time, leave the “Only show options that are compatible with my printer” option selected to get the best results.
You can access properties for your printer from here by clicking the “Printer Properties” link.





On the Microsoft Print to PDF Document Properties dialog box, you can select whether you want to the document to be “Landscape” or “Portrait” from the “Orientation” drop-down list. Click “OK” to accept the change or click “Cancel” if you don’t want to save the change or you didn’t change the orientation.





NOTE: If you’re using Windows 7, the Printer Properties link opens the doPDF Properties dialog box displays, allowing you to change the page Orientation (as well as other settings). Again, click “OK” to accept your changes or click “Cancel” if you don’t want to save the changes you made or you didn’t make any changes.






You are returned to the Print Pictures dialog box. If you noticed earlier that the sides of your images seem to be cut off, click the “Fit picture to frame” check box so there is no check mark in the box. You should see the entire image now. Enabling or disabling the Fit picture to frame option affects all the images you’re adding to the PDF file.
Click “Print” to create your PDF file.





The Save Print Output As dialog box displays. Navigate to the location where you want to save the PDF file. The same directory where the images are stored is selected as the default location, but you can change that. Enter a file name for the PDF file in the “File name” edit box and click “Save”.





You’re done! The PDF file is created in the selected folder and you can open it in the default PDF viewer in Windows, or in any other PDF reader you have installed.

How to Activate the Microsoft Print to PDF Option in Windows 10

If the Microsoft Print to PDF option is not available in the Printer drop-down list on the Print Pictures dialog box, you can easily add it. To install the Microsoft Print to PDF printer driver, open the Print Pictures dialog box as we discussed in the previous section (if it’s not already open). Then, select “Install Printer” from the “Printer” drop-down list.





The Add a device dialog box displays and a search for devices begins. You don’t need to wait for the search to finish. Click the “The printer that I want isn’t listed” link near the bottom of the dialog box.





On the Add Printer dialog box, click the “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings” option and click “Next”.
NOTE: You can also access this dialog box by opening PC Settings and clicking Devices > Printers & Scanners > Add a printer or scanner. Then, click the “The printer that I want isn’t listed” link that displays on that screen as Windows tries to search for devices. The Printers & Scanners screen also contains a list of all the printers and scanners available on your system and you can set any one device as the default and remove any of the devices.





Then, make sure the “Use an existing port” option is selected (it’s the default). Select “FILE: (Print to File)” from the drop-down list to the right of that option and click “Next”.





To select the PDF printer driver, select “Microsoft” in the list on the left and then “Microsoft Print To PDF” in the list on the right. Click “Next”.





You may already have this printer driver installed, in which case the following screen displays on the Add Printer dialog box asking which version of the driver you want to use. Make sure the “Use the driver that is currently installed (recommended)” option, which is the default, is selected and click “Next”.





By default, the printer driver is named “Microsoft Print To PDF”. This name displays in the Printer drop-down list on the Print Pictures dialog box and anywhere else in Windows or programs where you would choose a printer. However, you can change the name by entering a new one in the “Printer name” edit box. Click “Next”.





You should get a message that the printer driver has successfully been added. If you print to PDF files more often than you actually print to your printer, you can set this driver as the default printer. To do so, click the “Set as the default printer” check box so there is a check mark in the box. Click “Finish”.





You are returned to the Print Pictures dialog box where the Microsoft Print To PDF printer driver has been added to the Printer drop-down list and is automatically selected. Now you can continue with the process in the first section to create a PDF file from the selected images.

How to Print to a PDF File in Windows 7 and 8

The procedure for creating a PDF file from multiple image files is the same in Windows 7 and 8 as it is in Windows 10 with one exception. When you right click on a group of selected image files and select “Print” from the popup menu to access the Print Pictures dialog box (as discussed in the first section above), you’ll notice the absence of the Microsoft Print To PDF option in the Printer drop-down list.
There are many PDF tools available that will add a PDF printer driver to Windows when you install the program and those drivers will be available in the Printer drop-down list. Here, we’ll show you how to install and use a tool called doPDF that will allow you to create a PDF file from multiple image files (among other useful features).





Download doPDF and install it. The next time you open the Print Pictures dialog box, “doPDF 8” (that’s the version number as of the time this article was published) is an option in the Printer drop-down list. Select that option.





Now, you can follow the same steps in the first section above for Windows 10 until you click “Print” to create the PDF file. Once you do that after selecting doPDF 8 from the Printer drop-down list, the doPDF 8 – Save PDF file dialog box displays. A default file name and location is automatically entered in the “File name” edit box. To change that, click “Browse”.





The Browse dialog box displays. Navigate to the location where you want to save the PDF file. The same directory where the images are stored is selected as the default location, but you can change that. Enter a file name for the PDF file in the “File name” edit box and click “Save”.





You are returned to the doPDF 8 – Save PDF file dialog box where you can select the quality and size of the PDF file and embed fonts under PDF options. If you want to always use the folder you just selected to save PDF files, click the “Always use this folder” check box so there is a check mark in the box. To open the PDF file in the default PDF reader program on your PC, make sure the “Open PDF in reader” check box is checked. Click “OK” to start creating the PDF file.





The file is created and added to the folder you specified and it opens in the default PDF reader, if you selected that option.





PDF printer drivers can also be used to create a PDF file from any document that can be sent to a physical printer. Simply select the PDF driver as the device on the Print dialog box, rather than your standard printer.



Source: http://www.howtogeek.com/248462/how-to-combine-images-into-one-pdf-file-in-windows/

How To Install Extensions In Edge Browser In Windows 10

Microsoft Edge, the new web browser in Windows 10, is one of the best web browsers out there for Windows 10. The Edge browser is fast, offers an easy-to-use layout, works wonderfully on both traditional desktop as well as touch devices and more importantly, it’s miles ahead of Internet Explorer.
The support for extensions was one of features PC users were asking for ever since the release of Windows 10. Microsoft has finally updated the Edge browser to support extensions. The latest build of Windows 10, which is 14291 right now, allows you install extensions for Edge browser. In short, you can now add new features and personalize Edge browser as you wish.
While there are limited number of extensions available for now, the number will get a boost once Microsoft releases a Windows 10 build with Edge extensions support for public.

Install Edge browser extensions

If you can’t wait to install and use extensions, here is how to download and install extensions in Microsoft Edge browser in Windows 10.

Step 1: Open Edge browser. Click the More, (three dots) located top-right of the browser window (see picture below), and then click Extensions.







Step 2: Click Get extensions link to visit the official extensions page.







Step 3: Scroll down the page to see available extensions.
Step 4: Click on the Download button to download to download an extension.




Step 5: Once downloaded, either click on the Run button that appears once the download is completed, or navigate to the folder where the extension is saved and then double-click on the extension to install the same.








Step 6: Once installed, open Edge, click on More (three dots), and then click Extensions.
Step 7: Finally, click Load extension button and then navigate to the folder where the downloaded extension is saved.







Step 8: Select the extension’s folder, and then click Select Folder to load the selected extension. That’s it! Your newly installed Edge extension is now ready to use.









Hope this helps!


Source: http://www.intowindows.com/how-to-install-extensions-in-edge-browser-in-windows-10/

How to Upgrade from 32-Bit to 64-Bit in Windows 10

Written by Gavin Phillips March 7, 2016. When you received your Windows 10 upgrade, Microsoft will have automatically provided you a like-for-like 32-bit operating system. But if you’d like to upgrade to the 64-bit version of Windows 10, you can – provided your hardware supports it.


Why upgrade? The 64-bit version enables you to use more than 3.75 GB of RAM, providing you with a faster Windows 10 experience. Moreover, 64-bit Windows 10 requires NX support as standard, gifting your processor another layer of protection from malicious attention. For more information please see the Hardware Specification section below.
Upgrading to 64-bit Windows 10 can be a quick process, depending on your existing system settings and system hardware, and I’m here to guide you from one to the other.

64-Bit Compatible

Before you begin upgrading, you’ll need to confirm if your system architecture is 64-bit capable. Head to Settings > System > Update & Security > Activation. This screen contains your System type. If you see “32-bit operating system, x64-based processor” you’ll be able to complete the upgrade. If it says “32-bit operating system, x86-based processor” as per the below image, you have a 32-bit CPU meaning you will not be able to upgrade.

Hardware Compatibility

Next, we’ll check your system hardware for compatibility. Some of the earlier 64-bit processors do not have the required features to run Windows 10 in 64-bit mode, even if they are 64-bit compatible processors. Download and install system information application CPU-Z. Run the application once it is installed.







Windows 10 specifically requires PAE, SSE2, and NX. I’ve highlighted their respective entries in the above image, but here is why they are needed:

• Physical Address Extension (PAE) gives 32-bit processors the ability to use more than 4 GB of physical memory on capable versions of Windows, and is a prerequisite for NX. PAE will be represented by either “EM64T” or “AMD64″ in the system instructions.
• NX helps your processor guard against malicious software, adding more stringent security for 64-bit processors. NX support will be indicated by either “VT-x” or “VT-d”.
• SSE2 is a standard instruction set on processors, increasingly used by third-party applications and drivers. It appears as is if supported.

Turning On NX

If you don’t immediately spot the NX indicators “VT-x” or “VT-d” – don’t panic. Some older processors require you to manually enable NX in the system BIOS. Access to the BIOS varies by manufacturer, but you’ll normally find the correct key to press is displayed during the boot process.





Once you’re in, browse to the Security tab, or otherwise begin the search for NX Settings (or on some systems XD Settings). Once found, toggle the setting On, then Save and Exit.
If there are no settings to alter, you have two options: contact your system manufacturer to ask if there is a relevant BIOS update, or begin searching for a system with the correct compatibilities.

New 64-Bit Drivers

Before upgrading, you should also double-check if your system hardware is 64-bit compatible. 64-bit versions of Windows require 64-bit drivers, and following the upgrade some of your old 32-bit drivers will fail to work. Most modern hardware will support a 64-bit driver out-of-the-box, but if you’re running anything old, you might struggle for support.
You can check compatibility by heading to the hardware manufacturer’s website. There is no need to download the drivers as Windows 10 and Windows Update should take care of everything for you, but at least you’ll be aware of an issues before upgrading.

You’re Cleared for Installation

Almost. There is no direct path for a Windows 10 32-bit to 64-bit upgrade. This means you’ll be performing a clean install, which in turn means you’ll need to back up your important files, music, photos, work – anything that would make you utter a thousand curses if you were to lose it. This process will wipe your installed programs and files.
To begin the upgrade process, first ensure your existing Windows 10 license is activated. Head to Settings > System > Update & Security > Activation and double-check. When you upgraded or installed Windows 10, Microsoft etched your product code into the system hardware. This means following the clean installation, Windows 10 should activate of its own accord. If you have any difficulties, please see our Ultimate Windows 10 Activation FAQ.






Now, head to the Microsoft website and download their Windows 10 Media Creation Tool. Install and open the application. Select Create installation media for another PC. Select your corresponding Language. Ensure the Edition matches your own, and under Architecture select Both (we select “Both” in the event you need to reinstall Windows 10 32-bit). Finally, select which form of media you’d like the installation to install to.






It is now time to reboot your system and install Windows 10 64-bit from the media you just created. Follow through the instructions, selecting your keyboard and language settings, then choosing Custom install to overwrite the existing 32-bit installation.
When prompted for a product key, skip the process and continue. As mentioned, Windows 10 will take care of your product key following your reboot into the operating system.
Congratulations, you’ve just upgraded to Windows 10 64-bit!

Things to Remember

This is a relatively painless process so long as you check your system settings before boarding the upgrade train. Make sure you:

• Check your license is activated,
• back up your files to a secure location, i.e. not on the drive you’ll be upgrading, and
• double-check your system hardware compatibility.

Do this, and your upgrade should be absolutely fine!


Source: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/upgrade-32-bit-64-bit-windows-10/