Technology Tips – published October 2015 in the Guide and Digest
Getting Started with Windows 10
by Don Trauger – Kennett
As I suspected, the roll-out of Windows 10 has not gone smoothly. Some of you that were early adopters have taken the plunge and have had serious operational problems. A few of you, however, have been successful. At this time I DO NOT recommend to attempt this upgrade until Microsoft has solved these starting problems. In the meantime, click the white 4 pane icon near the clock, then click View report. This report will tell you if your computer is compatible with Windows 10. Remember this free upgrade is only for Windows 7 & 8 computers. The choice for Windows XP users is to purchase a new computer. It’s time to say goodbye to XP. Vista users still receive updates from Microsoft so you can continue with this version of Windows, but you should consider buying a new one within a year or less.
If you are an early Windows 10 user and have upgraded successfully here are some things you should do. First is to make Internet Explorer your default browser. When you upgrade, Windows will use the new Edge browser as the default not Internet Explorer. I feel Edge (shown as a stylized blue “E” on the Taskbar) is not ready for prime time. Basically, it has trouble displaying many web pages probably due to web site developers not making their sites compatible with Edge. To make the change click the 4 pane white icon in the lower left corner (or press the 4 pane Windows key on the keyboard), click Settings, then click System in the upper left corner of the window. Near the bottom of the list on the left side, click Default apps. Scroll down the list to Web browser. Click Microsoft Edge, then click Internet Explorer. Close the window.
If you don’t see the familiar Internet Explorer icon (another stylized blue “E” only with a gold band) on either the Taskbar or the Desktop, do the following: Press the Windows key or click the 4 pane icon in the lower left corner, then click All apps. Scroll down to Windows Accessories and click it. Move the mouse pointer to Internet Explorer then hold down the left mouse key and drag it to the Desktop. This will create a shortcut for Internet Explorer on the Desktop screen. Place it anywhere you like. If you would like it to show on the Taskbar go back to Internet Explorer as shown in Windows Accessories, right click it, then click Pin to Taskbar. This technique can be used for other programs listed in the All apps listing. If you are a Google Chrome or a Firefox user you can employ the same method after downloading and installing these programs/apps. You probably will have to re install your printer software. The best approach to this is to download a fresh copy from your printer manufacturer’s web site. Other programs that didn’t carry over to Windows 10 will also have to be re-installed.
Shutting down the Windows 10 computer is easy. Click the 4 pane white icon in the lower left corner then click Power and click Shut down.
Windows 10 is much improved over Windows 8 and somewhat improved over Windows 8.1 For a very quick overview, click the Get Started tile. There’s much to learn about Windows 10. The best way to learn is by your own experimentation but you can also learn some of the finer points and get answers to your questions by attending the PC Club meetings. We meet on the 3rd Tuesday at 7PM, upstairs at the Community Center.