Part 2 of our Windows 10 guide sees us go through some of the common problems when using windows 10; Whether it came with your PC or through the upgrade scheme you’ve more than likely come across at least one of these issues:
ONE – Your harddrive is full after the Windows 10 upgrade
Dont panic! This is only a temporary thing. During the upgrade process a full backup of your old version of windows is taken (should for any reason you would want to revert back). This ‘backup’ is held on your drive for 30 days before automatically being deleted. If you’re perfectly happy with 10, have no intention of rolling back and want to free up some space this is how you can delete the files manually:
- Step 1: Click on the Windows search field (Cortana) , type Cleanup, then click Disk Cleanup.
- Step 2: Click the “Clean up system files” button.
- Step 3: Wait while Windows scans for files, then scroll down the list until you see “Previous Windows installation(s).”
In this example 25GB is being used by the old installation
- Step 4: Check the box next to the entry, then make sure there are no other boxes checked (unless you do indeed want to delete those items). Click OK to start the cleanup. This may take a little while to complete so I recommend not using the PC whilst it’s deleting.
TWO – How do I stop automatic updates?
Unfortunately there’s no straight forward way to fully stop updates in Windows 10 like you could in the past. This, although annoying is to ensure you’re constantly getting the latest security patches from Microsoft. What you can do though is stop Windows from automatically installing anything but these mandatory security updates and restarting your computer when you don’t want it to. To do this:
- Step 1: Click Start > Settings > Update and Security
- Step 2: Click ‘Advanced options’
- Step 3: From the drop down menu change how updates are installed from ‘Automatic’ to ‘Notify to schedule restart’
Windows 10 Updates
This will now let you schedule a restart whenever you want to install updates.
THREE – D0 I need an Anti-Virus with Windows 10?
Although Microsoft’s latest and greatest comes with Defender, It’s a good idea to use third party protection. In studies its been shown that Defender is only effective against 80% of infections tested, whereas most free 3rd party Anti-Viruses blocked 95-99%! Our current favourite package is AVAST; It’s lightweight and effective but better still the basic package is absolutely free and covers most users needs.
https://www.avast.com/en-gb/index
Avast Free
FOUR – Where’s Internet Explorer gone?
Windows 10 comes pre-loaded with Edge; Microsoft’s new and improved web browser! It offers all the functionality of IE but promises to be faster and more efficient. Don’t worry if you prefer the old browser though as Internet Explorer still lives on within 10! To access it and make a shortcut do the following:
- Step 1: Click on your Cortana Search bar and start typing “Internet Explorer”
Tada! Hello Internet Explorer.
- Step 2: Right click on the icon and select “Pin to taskbar”. Now internet explorer is back where you remember it.
- Step 3 (optional): You can now right click the Edge shortcut and remove it.
Browsers in Windows 10
FIVE – Why wont my computer play DVD’s anymore?
DVD’s!? You still have DVD’s!? how very 2008 of you. It turns out Microsoft has the same attitude when it comes to watching your old back catalogue of films as they haven’t bundled DVD software within the operating system (R.I.P Windows Media Center). Not to worry though as these are easy to find. Our favourite Video software is VLC Player; It’s open source meaning it’s completely free and has a huge support community with new formats and files being added everyday. Download it below:
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.en_GB.html
alternatively you can find a stripped down version inside the windows 10 app store.
VLC Media Player