Desktop

Start Menu

Submenu

The Start Menu

The Start menu contains links to installed apps on Windows 10's filesystem. Also, to the left of it, on the same menu, there is a submenu that can be opened and closed by hovering the mouse over the left side and off of it, respectively. On the taskbar, the Start menu can be opened by clicking on the Microsoft button or icon. The listing of apps should be in alphabetical order. Not all installed apps are listed in the Start menu. Some sub-listings of apps or important Windows-related functions may be found, too, under listings with dropdown arrows next to them. Windows Accessories, is one example. It is the latest version of the accessory apps listing, formerly under the, Accessories, submenu in previous versions of Windows. Another important component of Windows 10 that can be accessed using the Start menu is the Command Prompt to execute commands in Windows. You can also type, 'cmd', in the Search box next to the Start menu to open up the Command Prompt, too. On the right-most side of the Start menu, categorized app listings can be found. Users can add or remove icons to various listed apps in this section if desired.

Settings

Settings, is the primary tool for most of Windows 10's common personalization options.

Control Panel

The, Control Panel, is reserved for more complex actions and personalization configurations in Windows 10.

Display Settings

Display settings include screen display properties and Desktop display options. Some of these include resolution, orientation and Desktop themes. Screensavers or screen savers can be customized on the screen in Windows 10. Imagery of them can be chosen from the Internet or image files on the computer itself.

App Listings

In the, Programs and Features, section, the apps installed on the computer are listed. Settinselproperties.exe is an example of an app that could be found in app listings. That is if the app actually exists in the filesystem as an installed app. Note, this app name is not really being used for any app. These listings would be in the, Add or remove programs, section would be in the Control Panel. Information related to the installation of a given app such as date installed on, publisher and size in MB of storage space utilized can be viewed.

Notifications

Notifications are messages that provide users reminders, communications and even messages from people by apps. Some examples of notifications are regarding new available updates of apps, detected viruses on the computer and new emails. They can be very useful. However, there may be times when notifications come in the way. There are ways to control notifications to modify how and when they are displayed.

In, Settings, notifications from apps and Windows 10 itself can be turned on or off. A number of personalized settings can be modified, too. At the bottom-right corner of the Windows Desktop, notifications can be viewed by clicking on the, Notifications, icon on the taskbar. When enabled, notifications from apps pop up and close after a short period of time in this area of the Desktop. One example of a common notification is, an update for an app available. This notification would let users know that a new update for the app has been released. Apps set to be updated manually provide notifications of the availability of updates for them. Another example of a notification is, a new email has arrived to your email account's Inbox, if the email account is signed in or you are using an email client like Outlook.

Power Usage

Power usage settings can be modified in the Control Panel's, Power Options, section to be able to save energy. Some areas of power consumption reduction include balancing performance with power consumption, reducing power consumption where ever possible and the reduction of screen output while the computer is idle for an extended period of time. Screen savers are used by Windows to reduce screen display output while idle for an extended amount of time using either a black screen or a combination of a black screen and a limited graphical display that is moving. When the computer is using as little energy as possible while idle, its lifespan is prolonged, too. Laptops need to utilize power saving options in order to preserve their batteries. Monitors will also have a longer lifespan, too.

Network Settings

In, Settings, network settings can be viewed and modified under, Network & Internet settings. Users can also view and modify network settings in the Control Panel through the, Network and Sharing Center. Advanced network settings can be accessed in this section. One example is an Ethernet adapter's TCP/IPv6 settings. Network sharing can be set up in the, Network and Sharing Center, too. All installed adapters for network connections can be viewed here. These include wireless and Ethernet adapters. Virtual Machine adapters are included if Virtual Machines are on the computer system. Wireless networks that are detected by your network's router are listed in the section for wireless networks. Even the wireless networks not configured in your router appear in the list. So, you may see the names of networks of routers in homes around your home in the listing of detected networks.

Sharing Folders

Windows 10 permits users to share folders across a network. On home networks, this can be done from computer to computer. Internet services in the form of email also can link computer folders to cloud drive folders once the cloud drive folders from the email service are initially downloaded. As long as the email is signed in, the cloud folders on the computer will be automatically updated. One example of this is with Outlook. The online cloud folders can be linked to Windows and updates to the folders on the Windows computer are seen on the Outlook.com cloud folders and vice versa.

Under the, 'Network' heading on the left pane of File Explorer, the devices you can access folders from are listed.

For folders being shared over a network, you can, accessed folders to local folders, file transfer both ways.

OneDrive, Outlook's cloud drive imports its folders upon signing into it and a link being created to the Windows computer.

It is important to consider privacy risks when sharing a folder with another computer. The need to share a given folder across a network evaluated, too. Sharing only the folders which need to be accessed elsewhere is a good practice for both privacy and security reasons.

For more information, please see the below link.

Microsoft - Sync OneDrive files and folders

Security

Ensuring that a Windows 10 or Windows 8.1 computer is important. Security threats from computer viruses and malware can cause damage to files on the computer and even Windows itself. Having an antivirus app running in the background helps Windows be more secure from external threats.

Some antivirus apps that provide good protection against threats to computer systems are the following.

• Norton Antivirus

• McAfee

• Avast Antivirus

• AVG

• TOTAL AV

Microsoft has Windows Defender activated by default. However, it does not provide Windows as good of a protection from viruses than third party antivirus apps. For more information on security and Windows 10, click on the below link.

It is important to note that anti-malware apps may be required to detect and remove malware on computers that antivirus apps are unable to detect.

One well known anti-malware app is Malwarebytes.

It is important to note that versions of Windows which predate Windows 8.1 are not secure to use with an Internet connection since they are no longer supported by Microsoft. This means, they will not receive security updates and are vulnerable to online security threats. Below, is a link to Microsoft's web page on which versions of Windows are currently supported.

Microsoft - Lifecycle FAQs

Online Security Threats

Security threats from the Internet pose a risk to Windows. However, this risk can be minimized by having good practices while using web browsers. Not using the Administrator greatly reduces risks of system damage when it comes to daily computer tasks. There are tasks such as app installation, removal of apps and system management processes which can only be done using the Administrator account. When doing such tasks, it is important to take precautions so Windows is not damaged from online threats to computer security. Please see the below link on online security and good practices.

Online Security

Windows System Care

It is important to keep a Windows computer in order. A number of important tasks to keep a Windows system in order are the following.

• Always have an antivirus app running on Windows

• Every once in a while, clean up document folders by deleting files which are no longer needed

• Back up important files at least twice a year to an external drive

• Have automatic Windows updates enabled

• Consider password protecting your user account(s)

• Never use the Administrator account for regular tasks like using the Internet or editing documents

• Limit the number of apps installed on the computer

• Limit the number of shortcuts on the Desktop

• Turn off the computer every day after it not going to be used until the next day by shutting down Windows

• Utilize a screensaver to reduce screen usage while the computer is idle for an extended amount of time

Keeping these practices in use will help to maintain a Windows computer system. Less issues will arise as a result and the computer should perform better in terms of speed. Also, files in the Documents and Pictures folders will be more organized, too. By uninstalling unnecessary apps, the speed of the computer will be improved. Less RAM will be utilized by apps that have processes running in the background. Having Windows 10 to automatically update itself through automatic updates from Microsoft ensures vulnerabilities are patched when security updates are released. Updates also update features which have been changed and new features are installed at times. Emptying the Recycle Bin after a certain period of time eliminates deleted files from Windows and frees up more storage space on the computer's Hard Drive. It is important to note that files in the Recycle Bin cannot be opened unless they are Restored to the computer's filesystem or external disk drive(s). A Restored file can be opened as if it was not deleted. Recycle Bin files still count as used Hard Drive space even though they are no longer in their original location(s).