[the-facts-machine] Kim Komando: Three Windows 10 Annoyances and How to Fix Them and a Look At Privacy Settings
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <the-facts-machine@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 16:14:13 -0500
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3 huge Windows 10 annoyances (and how to fix them)
By Kelli Uhrich, Komando.com
3 huge Windows 10 annoyances (and how to fix them)
© Ximagination | Dreamstime.com
It's taken a while for the popularity of Windows 10 to truly catch on, but more
and more people are letting go of older versions, such as the beloved Windows
7,
and finally making the switch. For the most part, Windows 10 has made both fans
and critics happy. However, there are certain issues, although not deal
breakers, that still leave something to be desired.
The next major update for Windows 10 isn't expected to be released until later
this year. But that doesn't really help anyone out while we wait, and some of
these "problems" may never be corrected. So, here are three common frustrations
many people encounter with Windows 10, and the settings you need to change to
fix them.
1. Start menu ads
Just when you thought there was a place that was 100 percent safe from ads -
guess what? - an ad pops up and interferes with whatever you were doing. The
Windows 10 Start menu is no exception.
Those little tiles make it convenient to access your most frequently used
applications and programs, but they also serve as prime real estate for
advertisers. The biggest culprit of all is usually Microsoft trying to sell you
additional products.
Thankfully, it's not as bad as it once was. Remember the days leading up to
Microsoft's big Windows 10 Anniversary Update when it seemed as if Microsoft
employed a new tactic each day to get you to upgrade? And that wasn't the only
time the company resorted to spammy methods for self-promotion. Back in
November, the company also added pop-ups to encourage users to switch to the
Microsoft Edge web browser.
If you've had enough of these annoying ads, and want to reclaim control of your
Start menu, follow these steps: Go to your Settings Menu and open the
Personalization window. You'll see five different section options, but for
this,
you'll want to click the one that says "Start." There, you'll find that the
toggle button for "Occasionally show suggestions in Start," is set to "On."
Toggle it to off and the ads won't be a problem.
For more ways to reduce ads in Windows 10, watch this video:
2. Location tracking
Many people don't realize their device is tracking not only their activity but
also their location. With all of the GPS applications out there, if your device
fell into the wrong hands, it would be a treasure trove of information. Whoever
found it could gain access to everywhere you've been: where you work, live and
bank, and even which grocery store you frequent.
To fix this problem, you're going to need to turn off the Location Tracking
feature. You'll find this in your Privacy settings, under "Location." Here, you
can tell Windows to stop tracking your location entirely or choose specific
apps
that can and can't use your location.
Location is useful for apps like the weather or when you're looking at maps
because you don't have to put in your address every time. However, other apps
might use it to keep tabs on you.
Tip within a tip: Privacy is a huge concern for any operating system you're
using. To boost security on Windows 10, Microsoft has added a handy new
feature.
Click here to check it out.
3. Poor battery life
We're all familiar with the little phrase that goes: You can have your cake and
eat it too. But when it comes to Windows 10 and battery power, that's just not
the case. Some of the new features the operating system includes can actually
drain your battery.
Cortana is one of these features. Like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa, Cortana
is a virtual assistant that's always waiting for your command. Sure, it may be
a
nice perk for when you're in a pinch, but leaving this feature on constantly
can
really impact how long your most recent charge lasts.
The easiest way to fix this problem is to turn Cortana off (especially if you
hardly ever use this feature to begin with). You can do this by going into your
System Settings, Cortana and Search Settings, and then click the toggle until
it
says "Off."
Another tip is to start using the built-in Battery Saver feature.
You'll also find this in your settings, or by doing a software search. Once on
the Battery Saver Settings menu, you can customize the settings for when you'd
like your device to begin saving power. You can also select which applications
are allowed to run when the battery power is low.
These are just a handful of things many Windows 10 users find to be annoying.
But, there are good things too. Click here for a sneak peak at some upcoming
Windows 10 features.
Windows 10's new privacy feature you need to start using now
By Francis Navarro, Komando.com
Windows 10's new privacy feature you need to start using now
© Ximagination | Dreamstime.com
Windows 10 may be the best Windows operating system yet but it has been widely
criticized for collecting and oversharing a lot of user data to Microsoft by
default.
Privacy advocates are concerned about the myriad of increased telemetry data
that Windows 10 is mining from its users. This telemetry data includes location
sharing, speech recognition, typing inputs, browsing history, software usage
and
diagnostics.
In its defense, Microsoft claims that this data collection helps it improve its
software and services to deliver personalized experiences, efficient targeted
ads and to help keep users safe from software threats.
Privacy Dashboard
To further bolster its transparency and to rebuild some of the trust lost due
to
these privacy concerns, Microsoft has launched a new online Privacy Dashboard
that lets you see and monitor all your Microsoft Account activity data across
services.
With this new dashboard, you can view and clear Microsft Edge browsing
activity,
Cortana and Bing search history, location data and Cortana Notebook items
associated with your Microsoft account.
screen-shot-2017-01-11-at-9-36-10-am
Photo Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft describes this dashboard as its "first step in expanding the tools
that give you visibility and control over your data spanning Microsoft products
and services." In time, the company states that it will continue to add more
functionality and categories of data to this privacy dashboard.
To access this online privacy dashboard, sign in to your Microsoft Account
management page and go to the Privacy section.
Windows 10 Creators Update
Microsoft also announced that it is simplifying Windows 10's privacy settings
in
the upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update slated for release in early 2017.
The update will revamp the initial Windows 10 setup to clearly show the
important privacy settings that you need to choose from, whether you are
upgrading from a previous Windows version or you are already using Windows 10.
This setup will replace the "Express settings" option that is currently in
Windows 10.
screen-shot-2017-01-11-at-10-47-52-am
Photo Credit: Microsoft
Another big change in the Creators Update is the streamlining of the telemetry
data that is currently being collected in Windows 10's "Feedback & diagnostics"
section. With the update, the section will be dropping the Enhanced level
option, cutting it down to two levels, Basic or Full, instead of the current
three.
Furthermore, the data collected in the Basic level will be further reduced. To
be clear, Microsoft said that this level will still include data that is vital
to Windows including device information, what is installed and basic error
reporting.
Microsoft said these changes are but "another step" to address user feedback
and
"help make your experience with Windows and other Microsoft products better and
richer."
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