Read then keep or delete

The following post is from contributing writer Kristen. In an age where we communicate by using Facebook, Twitter, and email, I am sometimes afraid that the notion of sitting down and writing a letter might become obsolete. Giving a Pen Pal Kit is a great way to tell someone how much you want to stay in […]

Capricorn you hold the pen or pencil, Something to keep in mind, Short read

(203) September 9, 2021For Extended Read @https://patreon.com/SoapsNSudsNSuchWant to Donate? Use Paypal @https://www.paypal.me/simplytarotWant to donate? @h...

Technology News - Updated: 50 common Windows 10 problems and how to solve them Read more Technology News Here --> http://digitaltechnologynews.com Introduction Note: Our common Windows 10 problems feature has been fully updated. This article was first published in July 2015. Windows 10 is now running on over 350 million PCs, tablets and smartphones, making it one of the most popular operating systems in the world. The successor to Windows 8.1 has been available for a little over a year now, which has given users plenty of time to get to know the OS. Many of the initial quirks, bugs, and other annoyances that Windows 10 launched with have been fixed while others persist. Issues with printer connectivity, for example, have plagued users – and of course the recent Anniversary Update brought problems of its own. At any rate, if you're suffering with the operating system, we've compiled a guide to 50 of the most common Windows 10 problems, as well as instructions on how to fix them. Read on for some troubleshooting goodness… Also check out our collection of how to use Windows 10 guides 1. Having enough space to install Windows 10 If you're planning to move to Windows 10, actually installing the OS is the first area you could potentially run into problems with. Installing a new operating system requires a certain amount of free space on your drive so that it can be downloaded and certain elements can be run successfully. For Windows 10, the space requirement is 16GB, which should be kept free on the main system drive the computer uses. This is actually the same as previous versions of Windows, so if you've upgraded before you can most likely do it again. To check how much space you have left, go to My Computer (or This PC depending on the version of Windows you're running) where any drives you have will be listed. You can see the remaining space indicated underneath each drive, or you can right click and select Properties for a clearer overview (the system drive is usually C:). 2. Checking you have a powerful enough PC Just as with space requirements, your PC will also have to be capable of running Windows 10. This means that it must reach certain minimum system requirements. The requirements for running Windows 10 are relatively low: A processor of 1GHz or faster; 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit) of RAM; 16GB of free drive space; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphic device; and a Microsoft account combined with internet access. To find out your PC's spec, go to Control Panel and select System and Security, then System. 3. Activating Windows 10 Some users have reported issues with activating their copies of Windows 10, which could have been down to a number of different reasons. In some cases, the easiest way to get around the problem is to purchase a legitimate copy of Windows 10. Unlike previous versions of Windows, the latest one is almost exclusively available online, which means that official Microsoft websites are the best bet for your purchase. The company was giving the OS away for free, but that promotion has now ended. Microsoft has a helpful website that provides a downloadable copy in either 32-bit or 64-bit versions. If you do find that you're unable to activate Windows 10 successfully, handily Microsoft introduced a new activation troubleshooter feature with the recent Anniversary Update. You'll find this in Settings, then click Update & Security, go to Activation and select Troubleshoot (you won't see this option if the OS has been activated). 4. Avoiding inconvenient software update reboots Windows 10 is, in many ways, a truly internet-based operating system. Mostly, this is a bonus but there are times when it isn't – and Microsoft's attitude towards operating system updates is one such time. The most annoying part of automatic updates is the restarting, which can seemingly come at random (and inconvenient times). The simplest way to counteract this is head to Windows Update (in Settings > Update & Security), click on Advanced Options and then Notify to Schedule Restart, which means the OS will request a reboot rather than trampling all over the work you're not quite done with yet. 5. Updating old software to work with Windows 10 Each version of a new operating system comes with its own set of backwards compatibility issues and Windows 10 is no exception. The transition from Windows 8.1 to 10 is far less jarring than the move from Windows 7 to 8 was, but there are still certain applications that can become broken and, in some cases, cease to work at all. One such application is Chrome, which some users have even had to fully delete and reinstall. If a program isn't working with Windows 10, try looking in the Windows Store for an update and, if that doesn't work, delete and reinstall it. Over time, more and more developers will get round to updating their programs for Windows 10 so, if you're reading this a few years from now, this likely won't be much of a problem anymore. 6. Changing privacy and Wi-Fi Sense settings Data security is incredibly important, especially as hackers become increasingly sophisticated and the number of cyber-attacks is on the up. Windows 10 comes with a decent set of built-in protection measures, but you can never be too careful. One such feature that should be disabled by privacy-minded individuals is Wi-Fi Sense, which automatically shares the Wi-Fi password across Windows 10 devices on the same account. Microsoft updated Wi-Fi Sense to share less data, but switching it off is the ideal way of preventing anything you don't want happening. To turn it off, go to the Start Menu, select Settings and click on Network & Internet, then Wi-Fi, and head to Manage Wi-Fi Settings – turn off all the options in here. Also in Settings, it's possible to get an overview of everything else happening on Windows 10 in terms of privacy – unsurprisingly, under the Privacy section. In here, you'll be presented with a bunch of toggles that adjust some privacy options to help keep everything under control. 7. Printer compatibility Printer compatibility can be an issue for older devices. If you're jumping from Windows 7 (or earlier) to Windows 10 then it's definitely worth updating all available printer drivers, which should help prevent them not working post-upgrade. Doing this is simple. Just search Google (or Bing, depending on your preference) for the name of your printer and download the latest Windows 10 compatible drivers. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to install them and you're good to go. 8. Changing the browser to Chrome or Firefox Microsoft ships Windows 10 with Edge, the successor to its Internet Explorer browser (although IE is still present in the OS). For many people, however, using Chrome or Firefox is the norm, no matter what Microsoft wants. To install Chrome or Firefox – and get back to normality – open Edge, search for either, and find a Windows 10 version. Download it, install it, and make sure it's set as the default browser option so that Edge doesn't keep reappearing. To do this, head to Settings, System, and click on Default Apps – click under Web Browser and you can then select your preferred default browser. 9. Learning to use Edge If, however, you do want to use Edge then you'll find it's actually a decent browser, despite a few notable flaws. One thing to note in particular is that running Edge on a touchscreen PC or tablet yields the best results as Microsoft has optimised it to support touch or pen input. Websites can be doodled on, shared, and generally messed around with in a way that other browsers don't really facilitate. Microsoft has also focused on making Edge fast and, above all, battery efficient. Anyone who has ever used Chrome on a laptop knows that it just sucks up battery life, so this may be a refreshing change for some. Favourites, browsing history, passwords, and so on can be shared between Windows 10 devices, too, which means that using Edge on one machine will be the same experience as using Edge on another. It's worth taking some time to give Edge at least a tryout before you decide it's a problem and make any vows involving bargepoles and so on. 10. Edge won't stream music when minimised The browser does come with some annoying features, however. Because it's a Universal Windows App, Edge runs on smartphones, tablets, PCs, and almost any other device. This means that it sometimes has a problem with being too much like a phone app rather than a PC program. One of the ways this manifests itself is by sometimes refusing to play media when minimised, just as a phone app wouldn't. There's currently no fix for this, unfortunately, although you could obviously use a different browser until the problem is addressed by Microsoft. Or just use an entirely different app to stream your music. 11. Blocking pop-ups in Edge Want to block pop-up ads in Edge? Fortunately, putting a stop to these bothersome things isn't difficult. Within the Edge browser, you need to click on Settings (found in the top-right 'ellipsis' menu, the three dots), then click on View Advanced Settings – in here you need to turn on Block Pop-ups. 12. Choosing Google over Bing Many people just don't like Bing, most likely because they have always used Google. That's fine, and we're sure Microsoft understands. Changing Edge over to Google is relatively simple. Navigate in Edge to Google.com (or Yahoo, or whatever your preference) and click the ellipsis button in the top-right corner. A drop-down menu will appear: select Settings, and then navigate down to click View Advanced Settings. From here, scroll down to 'Search in the address bar with…' and select Add New. Some users have reported that Add New often has no results in it, suggesting that no new search engine can be added. This isn't true. To get past this, close and then reopen Edge and (hopefully) some results will have appeared. 13. Grappling with the touchscreen If you've bought a Windows 10 machine that has a touchscreen then you are, by and large, getting the best experience with the OS. Ever since Windows 8, Microsoft has been optimising its operating system for the finger – and sometimes pen – with large tiles, easy-to-scroll menus, and so on. However, it can still be a little disjointed, but the easiest way to remedy this is simple: head to Start > Settings > System > Tablet Mode. Then turn Tablet Mode on – this optimises Windows 10 for fingers rather than pointers, making it far easier to use. 14. Grappling with the touchpad Having a touchpad-enabled laptop is also good for Windows 10, but some users have reported that the upgrade from Windows 7 (and sometimes Windows 8) breaks it. One of the ways to solve this is by first checking to see if your keyboard has a key that turns the touchpad off. If it doesn't – or the right setting is toggled – then head to Devices > Mouse & Touchpad> Additional mouse options. A new window will appear. From here, select the tab that says Device Settings, then Devices, and then make sure the touchpad is enabled. If none of these options work, press Windows Key + X, select Device Manager, then the option for Mice and other pointing devices, and update the driver. This should fix things. 15. Finding Safe Mode Safe Mode is just what you'd expect – a safe way of booting up a PC and running the system with no startup apps and only essential drivers, which should hopefully allow the computer to boot successfully when it won't otherwise due to some issue or other. With Windows 10, to access Safe Mode, hold down the Shift key during boot-up (or select Restart from the desktop while holding down Shift). 16. Making sure Windows 10 knows where you are Location-based apps are fairly prominent in Windows 10 which makes it a good idea to let your PC know (roughly) where you are. Cortana, for example, can give far more information if it can accurately pinpoint where in the world it's being used. To update your computer's location settings, head to the Start menu, click Settings, Time & Language, and click Region & Language – then make sure the correct country is selected. To turn on Location services, go to Settings > Privacy > Location, and flick the Location switch on. 17. Speeding up your PC There are loads of ways to speed up a PC and Windows 10 comes with several options to do so with ease. Having fewer programs boot during startup can, for example, make the whole booting experience faster. To streamline your boot-up, press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys together and select Task Manager from the resulting screen, then select the Startup tab, and choose which services or apps are allowed to load (right click and select Disable to, well, disable any you don't want). Deleting unused programs or files can also speed up a PC. 18. Removing the annoying lock screen The lock screen on Windows 10 can be annoying, especially on a computer that doesn't have a touchscreen to easily 'swipe' it away. Windows Hello makes things somewhat easier, but only if you have a compatible computer with the necessary hardware to run the authentication system. Luckily, Microsoft has provided a solution to the problem of the lock screen, albeit a complicated one that shouldn't be tried if you're not confident in tinkering with the Registry. Note that a misstep here can cause serious problems, so if you're a computing novice, it's probably best to steer clear of this one. Okay, warning aside, to do this you need to first head to the search/Cortana box (next to the Start menu) and type in a search for: regedit This will run the Registry Editor. From here, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows, select the Personalisation key and select New before choosing DWORD (32-bit) Value. Select New Value #1 in the right-hand pane, and use F2 to rename it to the following: NoLockScreen Now double click it, and change the value data to 1 and click OK. It's a slightly complex process, but after a reboot you should be able to automatically bypass the lock screen. 19. Making DVDs work again Annoyingly, Windows 10 ships without DVD playing software as a standard option. Microsoft does offer an app as a download from the Windows Store – called Windows DVD Player, imaginatively – but it costs £11.59 (around $15, AU$20). The best bet for those who want to watch DVDs is VLC Media Player, which is a free download and was recently updated to support Windows 10. It also supports a host of other file formats – even the weird ones – making it a very useful tool to have around (or check out our 5 best VLC alternatives if you fancy something a bit different). 20. Banish annoying notifications Microsoft introduced a nifty way to view all of your notifications at once in the Action Center, which is one of Windows 10's best features compared to Windows 7 or 8.1. However, it does tend to get clogged up with notifications, including ones that are seemingly useless (we're looking at you, Windows tips). Luckily, turning these off is easy. Go to Settings > System > Notifications & Actions, and then simply toggle off any that are not useful or relevant while keeping the ones that are. Individual third-party app notifications can also be switched off. 21. Beefing up system security As more of our lives increasingly spills over onto computers it becomes important that they're safe and secure. Windows 10 ships with a variety of security features that it's a good idea to take a look at. One such feature to be aware of is Windows Defender, which is designed to detect and remove malware from PCs – you'll find it under Settings > Update & Security. Make sure you've got this turned on, if you don't have another third-party antivirus solution running on your machine. Another nifty feature is Windows Hello which allows for biometric authentication on your machine (we'll come back to this and show you how to set it up in the next slide). And a further measure still is Windows Passport, which secures all your credentials in one place (read up more about that here). It's impossible to stop all threats, but with its newest OS, Microsoft has taken a long hard look at the areas where Windows was more vulnerable and has patched things up nicely. 22. Setting up Windows Hello Windows Hello is one of the most innovative features that Microsoft has built into Windows 10. Essentially, it lets a user login just by using facial recognition (or a fingerprint) virtually instantly. The software, which is available to all Windows 10 users, does require special hardware (and most likely won't work on older computers). Assuming you have the necessary hardware, how do you set up Windows Hello? You need to go to the Start menu, click on Account, and select Change Account Settings. Select Sign-in Options and set a PIN. Once you've done this, there will be an option to Setup under Face. Select this and follow the instructions. 23. Stopping Windows 10 from using loads of data If you're on a tablet that has 4G, using a mobile hotspot, or surfing the web via a Windows 10 smartphone, then the operating system may have a nasty surprise for you. Users have been reporting that the default configuration of Windows 10 sucks up data like there's no tomorrow, potentially putting you over your data allowance, and leaving you with a hefty bill. Fortunately, there's an option that addresses the problem. Simply to go Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi. Click Advanced Options and then Set as metered connection. This means that Windows 10 will stop collecting so much data in the background. 24. Getting Cortana to respond to one voice Worried someone else might use Cortana on your device? Well, one cool thing that Cortana can do is 'learn' a certain person's voice, making it far more secure than Siri or Google Now, which generally just accept simple commands irrespective of who they come from. To do this, open Cortana, select the Notebook from the left-hand menu, select Settings, and make sure that 'Respond to' is set 'To me'. It'll run you through a few test phrases to get the basics of your voice and tone correct before effectively logging what you say and learning – eventually – to just respond to you. 25. Getting Windows 10 working on high-res screens Windows supports a huge range of devices going back a long way which, inevitably, means that some don't work as well as others. Users have reported issues with high-resolution displays and Windows 10, including experiencing blurriness in applications that had been rendering fine on previous versions of the OS such as Windows 8.1. The easiest way to solve the issue of blurriness is by going to Control Panel > Display and fiddling around with the settings here. There is no one single setting that will fix all issues, so experiment and see what works (and what doesn't). To fix blurriness in specific applications, right click on the app's icon and select Properties. Under the Compatibility tab there is an option to 'Disable display scaling on high DPI settings'. Tick this and – hopefully – the problems will disappear. 26. Using less battery on laptops and tablets Battery life is important to anyone who regularly uses a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, and of course Windows 10 can be used on all three of those devices. Microsoft recognises this – as shown by the marketing of its Edge browser as being battery-friendly – and has built several tools into Windows 10 to help cut down on excessive battery drain. All apps that run in the background can be toggled off, for example, which stops them from sucking up precious juice. And as we saw in an earlier tip, a metered internet connection option can also be used, which cuts down on background data usage. Windows 10 also includes a dedicated set of power options, which you can find via Settings > System > Power & Sleep. From here, display sleep times can be set and under Additional Power Settings you can select a power plan that means a lighter load for your battery. 27. Generating a battery report Continuing with the theme of avoiding excessive battery drain, if just fiddling with the settings isn't enough, Windows 10 can also generate a battery report. To do this, head to the Command Prompt Admin (which you get from right clicking on the Start menu), and type in: powercfg /batteryreport /output C:\battery_report.html This will save a file to any chosen folder – e.g. C:\ in this case, the root of your system drive – which gives you a hugely detailed look at battery quality, cycles, how much charge is left, and much more. The report is a little dense, so be warned on that front. 28. Changing default app choices Another thing a lot of users have complained about is default app choices – i.e. browser, word processor, and so on – changing when updating Windows 10. The easiest way to change them back is to head to Settings > System > Default Apps. From here, almost every major default app – music, email, maps, calendar and so on – can be chosen based on the ones you have downloaded. 29. Opening older Microsoft Office files This issue is still an annoyance in Windows 10 (indeed, it affects all versions of Windows and Office). The fix, however, is relatively simple. If you're getting a lot of 'file is corrupt and cannot be opened' or 'unable to start correctly' warnings, then open Command Prompt (again, by right clicking the Start menu) and type in: icacls %programfiles%\Microsoft Office 15 /grant *S-1-15-2-1:(OI)(CI)RX That should fix your problem – if it doesn't, then try to find each corrupted file, right click, select Change and then Online Repair. 30. Flickering screen issues Flickering screens aren't always down to the hardware and some users have reported issues such as these caused by upgrading to Windows 10. The easiest way to fix this is to update all relevant drivers for monitors as well as Norton Antivirus, iCloud, and IDT Audio, which are all suspected to be potential causes of these problems. It may even help to uninstall and then reinstall them. Windows 10 does automatically update drivers, so there is also a chance it's forcing an incompatible version of a driver onto the PC without realising. 31. Fixing the Start menu The Start Menu can become cluttered, especially if you have a lot of apps and other bits and pieces that will automatically show up on it. Microsoft lets you resize the menu as well as add and remove applications, shortcuts, and almost anything else. The easiest way to ditch things is by right clicking and then removing – click uninstall – or you can drag apps or folders directly onto the menu to add them. 32. Staying safe with the Windows Store Concerned about downloading software that could contain hidden malware, spyware or other nastiness? Then remember that using the Windows Store is safer than downloading apps from the web at large, because Microsoft checks over and vets programs on its store. You can buy apps, games, films, music, TV shows, and everything else from the store, for reasonably competitive prices. To access the Store, simply find the icon on your desktop – or search for it – and click it. Purchasing is a breeze and everything is tied in with your Microsoft account. 33. Setting app permissions App permission settings effectively control what, and how, certain apps do things. Do you want Facebook to be able to access your contacts, for example? If not, you can switch this off, or adjust any permissions you're not happy about, by going to Start > Settings > Privacy. From here, you can select from the list of categories down the left-hand pane to adjust various easy-to-understand options on an app-by-app basis. For example, going to the Location tab lets you choose which apps are allowed to use information pertaining to your location (assuming you have this turned on in the first place), and in Camera you can tweak which apps are allowed to use your PC's webcam. 34. Using Windows 10 across multiple devices A Microsoft Account (which you can set up by heading to login.live.com and following the instructions) effectively binds all of your devices together by syncing settings, apps, bookmarks, and everything else between different pieces of hardware. Almost every single one of Microsoft's main applications – Edge, Office, OneDrive, and so on – uses the main Microsoft account to get information from the cloud. If you're wondering how to set up and sync the OS across all your devices, the process is simple – just login to each device with the same Microsoft Account. Then, in the Settings of each device, there will be a set of options concerning what gets shared and how. On your Windows 10 PC, you'll find this under Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings – first you need to switch Sync Settings on, and then you can adjust what's shared as appropriate. 35. Fixing problems with Bluetooth connectivity If you find that Windows 10 broke the connection of a Bluetooth device (or devices) that was previously paired up just fine with your machine, then there is an easy enough fix for this. According to Microsoft, all you have to do is head to Device Manager (just type 'device manager' into the search/Cortana box next to the Start menu), select the Bluetooth driver and update it to the latest settings, which will be compatible with Windows 10. The operating system should be able to automatically search, and then update, the driver. If that fails to work, un-pairing (or forgetting) the device before re-pairing it should fix the issue. 36. Backing up a Windows 10 PC There's nothing worse than having disaster strike your computer and then realising you haven't properly backed up your precious data. Want to know how to do this easily? Fortunately, backing up is a simple task in Windows 10. Indeed, Windows 10 has many of the same backup features that were present on Windows 7, accessed by going into Settings > Update & Security > Backup. The options include adding another drive to backup to, or accessing a previous backup on another machine – you can restore from a backup you created using Windows 7, in fact. OneDrive is also a quick and easy option for backing up files, providing an off-site alternative in case of fire or theft. You'll find OneDrive under File Explorer (which in turn is under the Start menu). 37. Fixing black screen errors A black screen on Windows 10 can mean several things, depending on whether you've logged into the operating system or not. If you haven't logged in, or Windows 10 hasn't booted, then check your internet connection and boot your PC via Safe Mode. (To access Safe Mode, hold down the Shift key as your machine boots). If you logged in and then the screen went black, unplug all external devices and, failing that, boot via Safe Mode as above. If the problems persist, contact Microsoft directly for further advice. 38. Protecting your PC with Windows Firewall Naturally, you want to keep your Windows 10 PC safe, but do you need to go to great lengths searching for and installing security software to achieve this? Actually you don't, because the integrated security solutions Microsoft bundles with its OS are perfectly serviceable efforts. Windows Firewall is one half of Microsoft's basic efforts to keep your PC safe from malware and other attacks. It's easy to turn on, but configuring the firewall is a slightly more involved matter. To switch on the firewall, or rather to make sure it's switched on as it should be by default, simply type 'firewall' into the search/Cortana box (next to the Start menu), and click on Windows Firewall. From here, there's an option to turn it on (or off), and you can also adjust the relative 'strength' of the firewall. Windows Firewall can be configured as incredibly strong via the 'Advanced Settings' option – i.e. it blocks all suspect apps without asking – or slightly weaker, which means there's a slightly greater risk that your PC will become hit with some kind of infection, but the firewall won't interfere as much. The easiest way to find out which settings are best for you is to simply test things out for a few days and tweak as needed. If you forget what you've done in the settings or think you've messed things up, just click on Restore Default Policy on the right-hand side of the Advanced Settings menu to get things back to normal. 39. Benefiting from Windows Defender Alongside the firewall discussed in the last slide, Windows Defender is the other half of Microsoft's essential defensive measures, and it focuses on keeping viruses off your PC by detecting malware and purging any infections present. Activating Defender is simple: you'll find it under Settings > Update & Security, and then click on Windows Defender. It's a must that real-time protection should be turned on to allow Windows to constantly monitor for anything suspicious and step in should a detection occur. That said, even if it's been turned off, this is such a vital piece of the puzzle that the OS will turn it back on automatically after a while. Note that if you have a third-party antivirus application installed, Windows Defender will be turned off so as to avoid conflicts. While much criticised in the past, Defender is actually a solid enough security solution these days, and is very nicely streamlined (plus it won't bother you with any pop-ups like some of the free antivirus programs do). On the other hand, we should note that it still doesn't score up there with the best rated antivirus packages (even the free ones). 40. Setting up device encryption Basic protection from malware aside, what about defending your Windows 10 machine from nefarious hackers? To do this, you can elect to use device encryption, and fortunately Microsoft has provided strong encryption facilities, and it isn't particularly difficult to set all this up – the caveat being that you need to be running Windows 10 Pro for BitLocker encryption (not Home). To enable device encryption, go to Start, search 'encryption' and select Change device encryption settings. After that, select Manage BitLocker and turn it on, then follow the subsequent instructions. With your data encrypted, if hackers do manage to somehow access it, the information won't be of any use to them. The only downside is that performance may take a bit of a hit on older machines, but if you need peace of mind regarding your precious data, it's worth it. 41. Solving sound problems Windows 10 users have been reporting problems with how it handles sound for a long time now, and most of the issues stem from one simple thing: old drivers. The aged drivers might work fine with older versions of Windows, but may not perform so well with the shiny new Windows 10. To fix such problems, go to the Start menu and search for Device Manager. Click on the link which will open a new window with a series of options. Select 'Sound, video, and game controllers', which will yield a set of results with a sound card option. Select the sound card, and then select the Driver tab. There will be an option for updating the drivers that you should select. This will take you to the manufacturer's website where there will be instructions on how to download a new driver. Once it's downloaded and installed (of course, make sure to get the Windows 10 version of the driver, if there is one) the problems should hopefully go away. 42. Bugged or glitchy software It's not uncommon for software, particularly older apps, to encounter glitches or even to fail to run completely with Windows 10. There's one potential way to get around show-stopping bugs, though: right click on the icon for the app and select Properties, then click on the Compatibility tab. From here, click the checkbox next to 'Run this program in compatibility mode for', and in the drop-down menu underneath that, choose the version of Windows that the program ran fine on. Over time, many developers will update their apps to remove bugs, so the software in question may eventually work just fine with Windows 10. An easy way to help them is by reporting any bugs you find, which can usually be done via the developer's website. This highlights what's up, allowing them to (hopefully) work on a fix. 43. Dealing with Windows Store connection errors Sometimes, the Windows Store will throw up a 'Check your connection – All fixed?' error when your internet connection seems to be running just fine, and obviously that's a frustrating experience. To fix this, the first step to try is to make sure that your installed software is updated to the most recent versions. This helps to avoid any potential compatibility issues said programs may be having with Windows 10 – and it's good practice anyway, for an all-round healthier desktop environment. Next, go and check your router, as there could be a genuine problem with the connection. To find out, open Edge, or indeed any other browser, and do a quick search. If the browser reports an error, then it is most likely an issue with the router. Restarting the router should hopefully resolve the problem. Another possible solution to try is to check if a proxy connection is active, and disable it if so. To check, with the Edge browser, go to Settings (from the main drop-down menu, top-right), then click View Advanced Settings. Under proxy setup, click Open Proxy Settings, and make sure the Use a proxy server option is turned off. If none of this works and the issues persist, head to the Registry Editor, which you can locate by going to the Start menu and searching for it. Once the editor is open, copy in this command: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\C urrentVersion\NetworkList\Profiles Once you've done that, right-click on the Profiles tab, head to Permissions and click Advanced. (It sounds complicated, but we're nearly there now). Now, click 'Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object' and hit the Apply button, which makes the change permanent. Reboot your PC and hopefully you'll find the problem won't rear its ugly head again. Note that when working with the registry, you should always be very careful, so be sure that the line above which you have to enter is typed in precisely and correctly (double and triple-check it just to be safe). 44. Avoid losing files - make a backup Losing files because you didn't back them up is a hugely frustrating experience, but fortunately it's one that can be avoided easily. To create a backup, purchase an external hard drive (which obviously has to be larger in size than the data you want to store on it – for recommendations, you may want to check out our roundup of best external hard disks). To perform the backup process, ensure that the drive is connected to your PC, and left click on the Start menu, then click Settings. From there, click Update and Security and navigate to Backup on the left. You'll see the File History option here. Click the Add a Drive button. Windows will scan your computer for local and network drives you can use to store your backups on and, when it's done, you should select your drive from the list. File History will now be shown as On and you'll have access to all of the backed up files. If a physical drive doesn't suit you (maybe you're worried about a fire, for instance, or the possibility of the disk corrupting) then there are plenty of online options you can use as an alternative. CrashPlan has received very good reviews and comes with various tiers suitable for single PCs right through to businesses. Alternatively, you could simply use a cloud storage locker like Dropbox, or of course Microsoft's OneDrive, the latter of which is tied in directly with Windows 10. Whichever online option you choose, do be warned that sending all your files over a net connection could be a slow process – although that obviously depends on the quantity of files you have, and the speed of your broadband. Also be careful if you have data allowances on your broadband plan. It can be a good idea to have both a local backup on an external hard disk, and a further online backup – even if the latter only holds critical files and not everything. 45. Unstable Wi-Fi Some users have reported that their Wi-Fi connection has become erratic after installing Windows 10. To solve this problem, the first thing to try is to turn off your router and switch it back on – this will likely fix the vast majority of issues. This is because leaving a router on for a long period of time can cause it to go 'weird' (a technical term), just like a PC that is left on for months and months on end. Occasionally, it just needs rebooting. If issues persist, however, make sure that all the Wi-Fi drivers on your PC are correct and updated. To do this, go to Device Manager (search for it in the Start menu). There will be a section called Network Adapters, which you can double-click on to show your adapter. Right-click on it and select Update Driver Software, and then click 'Search automatically for updated driver software'. Now click close. This should solve the problem. 46. Computer booting very slowly The easiest way to fix a PC booting sluggishly is by reducing the number of apps which are launching on startup, as having too many programs firing up when the computer starts makes the whole process much slower, especially when it comes to older hardware. To trim those apps, press Control+Alt+Delete together and select Task Manager, then click the link that says More Details. From here, select the Startup tab. Here you'll find a list of all the apps that fire up when your PC starts. Look through the list of enabled apps and find any that you don't need – you can turn an app off by right-clicking on it and selecting Disable. Disabled apps won't automatically load on boot up. Be careful not to turn Microsoft services off, mind you, or important apps such as antivirus. If you're unsure whether it's wise to disable a certain app, Google it to find out. 47. Webcam woes The recent Anniversary Update to Windows 10 came with the unexpected side effect of disabling some people's webcams in Skype and other video chat apps. The best way to tackle this problem is to reinstall the camera's drivers or check for any updates that are available. To do this, go to Device Manager (search for it in the Start menu) and click on the section for 'Imaging Devices'. Right-click on the camera you're using, select Drivers and search for updates from the manufacturer. Microsoft is aware of this problem and is working on a fix to be patched directly through to Windows 10. Rumour had it that this solution was going to be released in September, but obviously that didn't happen – hopefully it shouldn't be long before we see the patch arrive, though. 48. Tracking down resource hogging apps Is your PC grinding to a halt – and perhaps the hard disk is whirring like crazy? If so, there's a good chance that one of the programs you're running may have developed some kind of issue and is sapping all your system resources. Luckily, there's an easy way to find out if an app has gone haywire and is bogging down your computer. You need to head over to Task Manager (accessed by pressing Control+Alt+Delete together), and click on More Details – you'll then see a list of Processes, which is all the different apps and services currently running on your machine. Scan down the list and look for any apps which are hogging CPU, memory or disk usage – or perhaps all of the above. Once you've discovered the culprit, select it and there's an option in the bottom-right corner to End Task. However, be careful that you aren't ending important system-critical tasks (usually ones with confusing names that won't mean anything to you), as this could cause your computer to crash. If in doubt about whether you should kill a task, again, Google is your friend here – search for the app/service and you'll almost certainly find an answer about exactly what it does. 49. Avoid endless clicking of minimise Okay, so this isn't the biggest problem to hit Windows 10 users by any means, but nevertheless it's a worthwhile tip bearing in mind. When you've got a lot of programs open, minimising them all to get back to the desktop can be quite a chore when you have to click the little 'line' icon top-right again, and again, and again. In actual fact, there's a keyboard shortcut which will minimise all active windows in one fell swoop. Simply hit the Windows key+D and you'll be back at the desktop in a jiffy. Getting into this habit saves a lot of time over the long run. 50. Getting rid of Live Tiles If you're using an older PC (or a tablet) then having vibrant Live Tiles may end up draining processing power that could be used elsewhere (not to mention battery life with a slate). This is something Microsoft has considered, though, and Live Tiles, which are present on the Start menu, can be switched off. To turn off one specific tile, right-click it, then click More > Turn Live Tile off. Alternatively, to switch off all Live Tiles, open the Start menu, and type the following, then hit enter: gpedit.msc Navigate to Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar > Notifications. Double-click the 'Turn off tile notifications' entry on the right and select enabled in the window that opens. For a load more neat tips and tricks on Windows 10, buy: Windows 10 Beyond the Manual Source/Original Post -> http://www.techradar.com/1300292 #tech #news #trending #leak

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How to make the most of the read-through (Editing Your Novel: Part One)

This post is part of the Editing Your Novel series. Click through to read about beta readers, the macro-edit, and the micro-edit. After you’ve taken a step back from your novel (however long that needs to be for you) you’re ready to jump back into it with the read-through. This step is pretty much summed up in the name: you’re reading through your novel. Seems easy, right? It might be a little harder than you would think. As you’re reading, don’t stop to make changes. Okay, I’ll admit that I couldn’t keep myself from fixing typos and little grammar mistakes that stood out to me. But other than that, really really really don’t spend time on trying to polish your sentences, fix character arcs, or anything else, big or small. Why? Because you’ll likely end up wasting time. You may spend hours tweaking and editing a scene, only to eventually realize you need to delete it altogether. Or start trying to correct a character arc at the beginning of the story, and then get to the end and realize it needs something else entirely. Which is demoralizing, to say the least. And not a good use of your precious writing time! The other reason not to edit as you go is that you’ll inevitably end up getting bogged down. You’ll notice mistakes and want to fix them all, but without a clear plan, you’re likely to get frustrated, become stuck in a cycle of editing and re-editing, and fixing things that aren’t the heart of the problem. And none of that sounds fun! So how do you create a clear plan to guide you through editing? With lists! (insert cheering sound effects) As you read, keep a list of all the changes you want to make. I had several categories that I put my notes into: Plot, Characters, Research, General, and Chapter By Chapter. The notes in Plot, Characters, and General were things I noticed that would affect things throughout the story, not just in that scene. Research was full of questions and little facts I needed to double check. Chapter By Chapter had notes about details in each chapter. They may have been as big as “add a scene here” or as small as “why does this character say that.” You might have a totally different way of organizing your notes, but this is what worked for me. As you’re making your list, you don’t necessarily need to write things like “change ‘but’ to ‘however’ on page 126.” If something comes to you easily as you read, just change it. BUT MAKE SURE you don’t get bogged down in trying to figure out how to fix it! If you have to spend more than a couple seconds thinking about what would sound better, just add a note like “change wording on page 126” so you know to come back to it later. Once you’ve finished reading through and making notes of what you want to change, it’s time to organize your list of edits. I pretty much left my Chapter By Chapter and Research edits alone, but I compiled my Plot, Character, and General lists into one, giant master list. It’s a little scary to see everything in one place, but it’s an important step to coming up with your plan for editing. As you’re making this list, don’t just throw everything together willy-nilly. Instead, organize it by size of change, with the biggest things to fix at the top, all the way down to the smallest. Why, you ask? The same reason you shouldn’t edit as you go: this keeps you from wasting time. When you start with big issues like plot, pacing, character arcs, and theme, you may realize that some scenes or even chapters are unnecessary. And when you delete them, you’ll be glad you haven’t spent hours rewriting them! In the next couple weeks, I’ll talk more about the macro-edit and the micro-edit, but this revisions list is where it all starts. The bigger changes will fall under the macro-edit, and as you get smaller, you’ll transition into the micro-edit. After you’ve compiled your master list of edits, read through your Chapter By Chapter and Research list. There might be things that should fit into your master list, so go ahead and add them in. Mostly, though, they’ll probably work best to stay in their own categories. The read-through may sound like something to speed through so you can get to “real” editing, but it will form the foundation that the rest of the process depends on. Give yourself however much time you need to read through it thoroughly and make all the notes you can. And, when you finish, be sure to celebrate! Even if you haven’t changed a single thing in your manuscript, you’ve still made a big step toward making your story the best it can be. Have you reached this step in the editing process? How do you organize your edits? Let me know in the comments! If you liked this post, pin it to share and save it for later! Featured image by Nicole Honeywill

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What to do when you finish your first draft

So. You’ve done it. You had an idea, then sat down and did the work to turn it into an actual story. You wrote a first draft! Now what? Finishing a first draft, especially if it’s your first first draft, can seem like a daunting task, so that when it’s finally over, many writers are left wondering what to do next. Can you submit it to agents? Should you start editing it immediately? Why not send it out to all my friends and family to read? To help you navigate the exciting but murky time post-first draft, I’ve got some simple steps of what to do next. In the coming weeks, I’ll dig deeper into many of these aspects to give you a better picture of what to do with the story you’ve just written. While everyone has their own process and what you do with your first draft is totally up to you, there is a basic structure of what to do that seems to work best for most writers. 1. Take a break This is an important step! You might be totally burnt out on your project after pushing through to the finish, and taking a break sounds great. Or maybe you’re itching to dive back into your novel and start editing. Either way, you need to put it aside for the moment. Taking a break from your manuscript allows you to come back to it with fresh eyes and renewed creative energy. If you start editing it ten minutes after you finished it, it’s going to be much harder to be unbiased about what your novel actually needs. Letting your manuscript breathe for a little bit is the best thing you can do to gain the objectivity necessary to edit it. How long your break should be depends on you. I took a month off when I finished my first draft. Some people recommend several months; others say just a couple weeks is enough. Ultimately, it should be however long it takes you to let the story fade a little bit in your mind (allowing you to approach it with fresh eyes) and for you to get excited again about working on it (particularly if you were feeling burnt out before). But just because you’re taking a break from your manuscript doesn’t mean you have to take a break from writing! You might need to, and that’s fine. Read a book or watch a well-written TV show. If you’re still feeling that urge to write, work on another project. In my month-long break, I read fiction books in the same genre as my work-in-progress, and wrote a short story. Do whatever you need to do to keep growing your skills and refill your creative well. 2. The Read-Through Once you’ve taken some time off from your book, it’s time to start editing. Again, the process will vary from writer to writer, but there is a general path that most people would tell you makes the most sense. The first step in this path is to just read through your novel, beginning to end. Do your best not to make any edits (though I couldn’t resist fixing typos and simple grammar mistakes when I did my read-through!), and instead just read your book like it’s the first time you’re seeing it. Instead of changing things as you read, make a list of all the edits you’d like to make. Once you finish reading and taking notes, organize that list from the biggest changes to smallest. The reason for this is that you don’t want to spend forever tweaking the descriptions on one scene, only to end up cutting it later. This will probably happen at some point anyway, but organizing your edits in this way will at least prevent some of this. 3. The Macro-Edit Now that you know what you want to fix, it’s time to dive into the edits. The first rounds of editing should be focused on the big stuff. As I mentioned earlier, this is to cut back on the amount of times you fix the details of a scene and then later delete the thing altogether. In the macro-edit, you’re looking for big picture issues like plot, characters, and theme. Do the character arcs make sense? How is the pacing of the plot? Does the theme tie it all together? If you’re an outliner who did a lot of prep work before writing, this edit may not take you as long, since you hopefully planned out a lot of these things beforehand, and were able to smoothly incorporate them as you wrote. If you’re not a planner and just wrote freely to see where the story takes you (or if you’re a plotter who didn’t actually plot very well like me…), then this stage might take longer. Neither way is right or wrong! It’s just a matter of figuring out what works best with your process and how to support whatever weaknesses you may have. 4. Finding beta readers This step doesn’t necessarily come after you’ve completely finished macro-edits. Each type of edit will take you several rounds (each round creates a new draft) and so somewhere in the midst of your macro-editing rounds, you’ll want to find other people to take a look at your draft. At this point, you’re looking more for people with writing skill and an eye for editing, not just the average reader. You want them to be able to critique your work (without being too harsh, of course) so that you can know where it gets boring, when the characters don’t make sense, which scenes are unnecessary, etc. No matter how many times you read your work or how long you try to take a break from it, you can’t be completely unbiased, so it’s important to bring in other people to give you their opinions as well. You’ll also want to bring them back in some time during the next phase of edits to help you find smaller details to correct. 5. The Micro-Edit Once you feel pretty confident that all the big stuff in your novel is ironed out, it’s time to wade into the weeds with the micro-edit. This involves going through your manuscript line by line to make sure every sentence is as polished and strong as it can be. You’ll need to ask questions like would this character use this word, can this verb be stronger, should this be in active voice instead of passive, etc. Keep an eye out for any “weasel words” of yours—these are words that you personally tend to overuse—or any other bad habits you know you slip into (I too frequently start dialogue with “Well…”). I won’t lie to you: it’s a long process. And it’s not one you can rush. But I sort of enjoy it, as it feels like I’m truly polishing my draft into something that is shiny and book-like. The micro-edit will again take several passes through your manuscript, but after that point it should feel pretty solid, and maybe even ready to start sending to agents. That’s a whole other round of posts, and I’m sure I’ll do them once I start querying agents! But it takes a while to get to that point—I finished my first draft in May 2018, and if things go to plan, I’ll finish my last round of micro edits June of this year. Revision may not be your favorite part of the book writing process, but it is a crucial part to make sure your story is the very best it can be. Have you finished a first draft? What is your method for editing and moving forward? Let me know in the comments! If you liked this article, pin it to share it and save for later! Featured image by Mikhail Pavstyuk

How to Become a Successful Blogger in 2020

Do you want 2020 to be the year you finally take the plunge and become a successful blogger? If you want to realize your dreams and reach your full potential in this instance, it’s essential that you dedicate yourself to the blogging craft. This isn’t going to be an easy endeavor, there’s no denying that, but it’ll all be worth it when you’re pulling in thousands of readers on a daily basis. To find out what you must do to become a successful blogger this year, be sure to read on. Hone your writing skills Of course, you’re going to need excellent writing skills if you’re to succeed as a blogger. Your readership will depend massively on how well-written your blog posts are, which is why you must seek to hone this skill at all costs. To hone your skills as a writer, you should: Write every day without fail Before you put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard), create an outline of what it is you want to write Read up on the subjects that you want to write about and study posts uploaded by bloggers that you aspire to write like Keep it simple when picking words (don’t write like you’ve swallowed a thesaurus) Get straight to the point when conveying your message Avoid using adverbs, filler words, and passive phrases Make use of an editing tool such as Grammarly Stop making excuses — sit down and write Manage your online reputation No matter how good of a writer you are or how engaging your content may be, nobody is going to give it (or your blogging platform as a whole) the time of day if your personal online reputation isn’t up to par. If your audience members come across negative content when they type your name into Google, they’re not going to feel inclined to read your blog posts. It is absolutely essential, then, that you take some time to manage your online rep before you go ahead and bring your blog to life. Don’t worry, you don’t have to scrawl through your social media timelines in a bid to delete a photo you uploaded way back in 2010. There are plenty of online reputation management services for individuals out there on the market, most of which provide highly effective brand repair assistance for regular people just like yourself. Create great content Great content is what is going to set you apart from the crowd in your market. To ensure that your content is intuitive enough to engage your target audience, you should: Always create original content Come up with strong headlines Ensure that your content is actionable Provide answers in your content Be accurate when quoting, reporting, and sourcing external information Create content that provokes thought and stimulates conversation Vary your content by uploading images, videos, and even infographics If you want to take your career as a professional blogger to a whole other level in 2020, it’s essential that you put all of the advice laid out above into practice. Related posts: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion book review Do you need to step up your mental game? We all need to consider this from time to time as life throws its various challenges our way. I like to share book reviews on my blog and am delighted to share this one from Alex Laurie about Influence: The Psychology... Cheerful Lockdown update You find me a little bored waiting for my brother to finish his singing lessons so I can head downstairs for a change of scene and quite possibly the delights of a sausage roll. I have had a longish day getting a variety of constructive things done but I am... The benefits of artificial grass Are you like me in this lockdown period? I find myself looking past the person speaking on video calls seen on the television. I like to decide whether I like the look of their interior design. It is the same when it comes to seeing people showing what they are... 7 Ways To Find Your True Calling Image by Katerina Knizakova from Pixabay No matter how old you are or what job you are doing, if you don’t feel satisfied, then it’s probably time to find out what you really should be doing. It’s not just about doing what you enjoy, but about feeling fulfilled, challenged and...