The newer generations of Windows are more of an acquired taste to hardcore users, as most of them saw beyond feature-heavy and eye-candy cluttered operating system. Windows 8 and 10 lacked the user-friendliness and the accessibility of Windows XP and 7 and therefore saw only a few years of gap between the former. To make up for the lack of fan following that Windows XP had commandeered over the years, such that the technical support for the same was stopped almost 20 years after it was launched Microsoft released a slew of updates with the Creators update bundle, with privacy and hardware management being at the center of the same. Here are 10 tricks that improve the Windows 10 experience.
Privacy management is not an option in Windows 10 by default, if you choose Express Install instead of a customized install, it does not allow you a lot of options to change them on later. However, if you choose a customized installation, all these options remain available in the settings. By installing the Creator’s update, end-users are given a host of options to choose from. New users may discover that unless they have chosen customized installation or the creator’s update the option to decide whether anonymous reports are sent to Microsoft or not, are not made available to the user anymore.
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Playing around in your Control Panel might be child’s play for the developer end-users among us. Therefore, Microsoft have cleverly slipstreamed an enhanced, advanced Control Panel, meant for those who know every rhythm and hum of their board and processor. Aptly named the GodMode, it can be invoked by creating a folder in the windows root directory and naming it: GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} This should provide you with the shortcut to an advanced control panel exactly as depicted in the picture.
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If you are a god-fearing, piracy-hating computer user then the licensed copies of Windows must be like Christmas presents to you. To this effect, when re-installing your copy of Windows after a hardware overall, in the past it used to be cumbersome, as the serial key was tied to the hardware rather than the end-user. This caused a lot of hassles that could be only remedied by phoning Microsoft directly. The Creator update smoothens this crease by allowing one to associate their Windows license to their Windows account. This should allow anyone with genuine copy of Windows, to reinstall the OS whenever they want.
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How can any Windows article be completed without paying due credit to the platform that lets us run the PC master-race? Introducing the Game-Mode which allows for one to concentrate their hardware resources completely on the game that is being run. This can be invoked, once the Creator update has been installed, and the windows+ ‘G’ button combination is pressed! The Game Mode also assists you in broadcasting your game sessions to an audience using the Beam application!
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Older versions of Windows were infamous for activation adds omni presently accompanying us throughout the session. Be it for activating MS office, or for the copy of Windows itself. And if you were running a pirated copy, prepared to be bombarded by the black screen, no matter how many times you change the wallpaper! Windows 10 faced the same challenge with the “Get Office” ads. They can be actually uninstalled by searching for them in the ‘Start’ menu.
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It is not news to any Windows user, that notifications, ads, full version purchase messages are all a part and parcel of using Microsoft Windows. And if you have Adobe products installed on your PC, be prepared to accustom your eyes to jump to and fro between the windows and the task bar corner. However, the Creator update seems to have circumvented this as well by allowing you to go to Settings from the Start menu, where one may find all the notifications pertaining to each and every application.
Truth be told, Windows keeps its settings a bit haphazardly than held accountable for! The new Settings panel is definitely nifty and can be used to make a lot of customizations that one feels make Windows 10 less cumbersome. However, there are certain operations and settings changes that can be only carried out if the old Control Panel and its menu hierarchy can be found. One can do this by searching for the same in the Start menu. Alternatively, it can be accessed from the Start menu, by applying right click and opting for it among other things such as Computer Management and Disk Management.
Gaming across platforms might be a hassle of the past. The above-mentioned PC master race must be jumping with joy to hear, the Xbox One is getting mods from developers Microsoft so a keyboard and a mouse can be integrated. This would not only be a huge favor to those who have to consistently upgrade to play new games. Also, now one can enable game streaming on their Xbox One. The Creator update allows you to switch on settings in the Xbox application section in the Start menu so that you can stream whatever’s happening on your Xbox One’s screen, on your desktop.
Well, no it’s not officially Microsoft Maps 2.0. However, Windows 10 does have a new feature where you can download and keep offline maps, a la Google smart devices. This should come in handy for the geography aficionados, or if you are planning a trip but do not have an active internet connection to make use of.
What good is a computer device without a cool virtual assistant to help you slice through your work. Cortana. If you want the Tony Stark experience, then all you need to do is connect a microphone to your computer and turn on the “Let Cortana respond to” from the voice search options list. Cortana can be programmed to use Google instead of Bing as the primary search engine, now, and after you download the Chrometana extension for Google Chrome, you can stop worrying about voice automating your Google Chrome searches and having them go awry on Bing!