50 |^ |^ April 2020
01
KEEPWINDOWSFULLY
UPTODATE
Ah, the Windows Update. Truly the
modern-day raven, rap-tap-tapping
on Edgar Allen Poe’s operating system
withmenacingintent.Takingcontrolofyourupdatesis
objectivenumberoneforanyonetryingtooptimisetheir
PC,sojumpintoSettingsandremembertosmashthat
CheckForUpdatesbutton.Youcanturnonauto-updates,
too,underAdvancedoptions,butif youhavea limiteddata
allowanceweadviseagainstthis,andinsteadrecommend
manualupdates.Youcanalsopauseallupdatesforupto
twoweeks;usefulif youwanttotrysomethingina specific
versionofWindows10.
02
SHUTCORTANAUP
Forthevastmajorityofusers,Cortanais
littlemorethanafrustrationbakedinto
thecoreofWindows10.Annoyingpop-
ups,constantdata-gathering,andforced
Bingsearch(comeon,Microsoft...)makeCortanatheleast
helpfulvoiceassistantinthebiz,butfortunately,shutting
herdownisreasonablystraightforward.FindtheCortana
pageunder Settings,thentogglealltheslidersoff.To
completetheprocess,headbackouttothemainSettings
menu. Under PrivacySettings, you’ll find Speech and
Inkingandtypingpersonalization.Turnbothoftheseoff
tocutdowntheamountofdataCortanagathersfromyour
typical PC usage. You can also block all apps from accessing
yourcameraandmicrophoneonthePrivacypage.03
DISABLE STARTUP APPS
We’ve all been there, booting up our PC
to get a quick task completed, only to
bewaylaidbySpotify,Steam,Uplay,and
Discord introducing themselves like the
worstbarbershopquartetofalltime.Windowshasyou
covered,though– theStartuppageunderAppSettings
letsyouviewwhichappsaresettostartupimmediately
(albeitinthebackground)whenyoulogintoWindows,and
alsowhichoneshavea higherimpactonyourboottimes.
Toggleoffanyofthesethatyouwanttoopenmanually,
suchasSpotifyorOneDrive,andyoursystemshouldstart
upfaster.04
DISABLEBACKGROUNDAPPS
This one comes down to preference,
andisn’tsonecessaryonmorepowerful
systemswithplentyofmemoryandhigh-
speedstorage.UnderPrivacySettings,you
canindividuallyselectwhichappsyouwanttoruninthe
background,anddisabletherest.There’sa tonoftools
includedwithWindows 10 thatyoumightusesometimes,
butdon’teverwantrunninginthebackground.Windows
News? Disabled. Voice Recorder? Deactivated. Xbox
ConsoleCompanion?Begone!05
UNINSTALLUNWANTED
APPLICATIONS
SpeakingofstuffincludedwithWindows
10,there’splentyofbloatwareyoucanjust
getridof.Themostobviouscontenderis of
courseCandyCrush,butif youtakea tripintoAppSettings
andscrollthroughtheApps& featureslist,youmayfinda
surprisingamountofsoftwareyouneveruse,andnever
intendtouse.Clickonaprogramtoviewoptions,and
uninstallitfromthere.Ifyou’reunsurewhatapieceof
softwaredoes,alwayslookit uponlinebeforeremovingit.06
UPDATEDEVICEDRIVERS
Updating yourdrivers isoftena handy
fixforsomethingnotworkingwitha PC,
butit’sa goodideatokeepyourdevice
driversuptodatewheneverpossible.To
checkforupdates,right-clicktheStartbuttonandselect
DeviceManager,thenright-clickthedeviceyouwantto
updatethedriverson.Youcanalsoscanfornewhardware
here;if youchangesomethingaboutyourphysicalsetup,GENERAL
TIPS FOR
WINDOWS
10
Keeping Windows up
to date can feel like a
rather Sisyphean task
at times.We’re sure a select
few of our readers
find Cortana helpful.
We do not.Keep your
background apps to
the bare minimum
whenever possible. © MICROSOFT