What’s new in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Top ten picks for our favourite features on the Windows 10 anniversary update

Number 10 on the list reinstall windows 10 to remove bloatware Manufacturers love to pack your lovely new system with bloatware Program that you don’t ask for and that clog things up Microsoft has created a tool that allow you to install a clean copy of Windows 10 which will remove any apps that don’t come standard with the Operating system. You will get the option to keep your files but other wise this is a clean install and you can get to the tool by going to the start menu, now click on settings icon, from the settings window choose update and security and finally from here you need to click on the ‘Recovery’ option.

Click on learn how to start a fresh with a clean installation of windows at the moment this just take you to an online web page were you can download the tool though perhaps it will be better integrated in a future update.

 

Number 9 Use Cortana on lock screen. Most of us know cortana the personal digital assistant of Windows 10 from the previous build. It can now be enabled on lock screen as well. On the lock screen let’s ask her to do certain tasks and see how she react’s form the start screen. “Hey Cortana”, set an alarm for 5 am Sure thing, “i have turned on your alarm for 5 am” “Hey Cortana, turn off my 5 am alarm” ” Sure, i have turned off your alarm for 5 am”

On the lock screen you can access Cortana by pressing that icon or by saying ‘Hey Cortana’ allowing you to set reminder, check direction, and more without having to sign in I thing it’s a very cool feature that you can take advantages of while your PC is locked or if you are a few feet away from your device and this feature is also enabled by default on the anniversary update.

 

Number 8 Enable periodic windows defender scanning. It’s never good to run multiple virus scanners simultaneously, because they can clash with one another and we know windows defender comes build in to Windows 10 but will disable it self, if you install a third party alternative. Now you can occasionally make use of the windows defenders capabilities without causing problems by getting it to scan periodically.

 

Number 7 set windows update active hours. Windows update has become a bit more respectful, though it will still force update on you Now you can designate a period of time, up to a limit of 12 hours where you’re usually using your system. During these hours window update won’t automatically restart your computer to complete an installation. If you’re interested in setting up this feature, you can do it by going to the setting window. To open the setting windows quickly, you can press ‘windows key + I’ on your keyboard.  Now from the settings window navigate to update and security and then move over to the windows update, there you will find a ‘change active hours’ feature underneath the update settings heading.

 

Number 6 View agenda from the task bar.  The clock and calendar integration in the Taskbar has seen an improvement If you click the time in the notification area, then you’ll see the current time, date, and calendar, all standard stuff . The new integration is the agenda area which shows your events for the day.

This links with the Calendar app that comes with Windows 10 and don’t forget that you can tie your Outlook, Google, and iCloud calendars to that. You can click a day on the calendar to view all the events taking place that day. You can also click the plus symbol to launch the Calendar app and be directly taken to the screen to add a new event If you don’t want any of this, click Hide agenda to minimise it.

 

Number 5 Access the Redesigned Emojis. Emojis have been in Windows 10 since launch, but they’ve been given a makeover Instead of the grey and fairly boring ones being used before the new Emojis are more colourful and playful. To access them, click on the keyboard icon on the left side of your task bar then click the smiley face. If your task bar doesn’t show the virtual keyboard icon, or touch keyboard icon, you can activate it by right click on task bar and select ‘Show touch keyboard.

 

Number 4 enable the dark theme on title bar colour.  If the amount of white within Window 10’s user interface has been offending you, now there’s a way you can invert those colours. To do so, press Windows key + I to load Settings.  From here select Personalisation, and move over to the colours. Underneath choose your app mode click dark and there you go.

 

Number 3 Redesigned start menu.  Finally Microsoft updated their Windows 10 start menu, to the next level. I really like the tweaks Microsoft is incorporating into the new version. The new Start menu redesigns the experience to align with the design language Microsoft is using throughout the operating system. The menu now combines the “Most used” and “All apps” lists into one column which means fewer steps to get to your apps Power menu, Settings, and other buttons are now easily accessible through the new left rail with a hamburger button. This is very similar to what you see in Windows Store apps. Similar changes can also be found on the Start screen as well but the full-screen experience of the menu comes with a few neat additions such as the new buttons to switch between “Pinned Tiles” and “All apps” and a new unified list, that is front and centre to make easier for users to get to their apps. I personally like these new changes, because I can get to my apps faster, also eliminating some of the learning curves for the new user.  Once you know how to navigate to the start menu you will also know how to navigate to apps and vice versa.

 

Number 2 Microsoft edge extension. While modern web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have included support for extension for a long time now they are also available on Microsoft edge. These are simple programs, designed to extend the functionalities of the browser to help you to get things done faster For example you can get a password manager that work across platforms Like ‘LastPass’ so you don’t have to remember complicated passwords. You can install amazon assistant to make it easier to compare price and get the best deal initially there are only a few extension that you can download from the windows store but there are lot more on the way.

 

Number 1 Windows ink.  It is my final pick for this top 10 list and my most favourite feature on this anniversary update. It is also the first feature that gets me pumped to get the anniversary update. It is perhaps the biggest feature you will find after installing the update although the operating system has been offering pen support for many years. The new experience brings the Windows ink workspace which is central hub to access the new apps including Sticky Note, Sketchpad and Screen Sketch and there is also a new page in the settings app to customise the experience. The active pen which makes everything a little simpler and in addition Microsoft is promising to make it easier for developers to build app’s with windows ink support to access Windows ink workspace on your taskbar. If you don’t see the icon there you can just move over to the taskbar and right click on any empty space and select ‘Show Windows ink workspace button’ and then you can see the Windows ink icon on your taskbar.

So, that’s my top 10 features on the new Windows 10 anniversary update.

If you are still on Windows 7 and would like to upgrade to Windows 10 please contact us and we will point you in the right direction or do the upgrade for you.

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