Windows 10 For Dummies

Andy Rathbone is a respected Windows guru whose expertise has been helping Windows users for more than 25 years. He is the author of all editions of Windows For Dummies, which has sold millions of copies and is the bestselling computer how-to book of all time. Andy answers Windows questions and shares insight at www.andyrathbone.com.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2How to Use This Book 3Touchscreen Owners Aren’t Left Out 4And What about You? 5Icons Used in This Book 5Beyond the Book 6Where to Go from Here 6Part 1: Windows 10 Stuff Everybody Thinks You Already Know 7Chapter 1: What is Windows 10? 9What is Windows, and Why Are You Using It? 9What’s New in Windows 10? 12What’s So Different about Windows 10? 15Why Does Windows 10 Keep Changing? 16Can My Current PC Still Run Windows 10? 17The Different Flavors of Windows 10 18Chapter 2: Starting with the Start Menu 19Being Welcomed to the World of Windows 20Understanding user accounts 22Keeping your account private and secure 23Signing up for a Microsoft account 26Figuring Out the Windows 10 Start Menu 27Toggling between Tablet and Desktop mode 30Launching a Start menu program or app 31Finding something on the Start menu 33Viewing, closing, or returning to apps 34Getting to know your free apps 35Adding or removing Start menu items 38Customizing the Start menu 39Exiting from Windows 44Temporarily leaving your computer 44Leaving your computer for the day 46Chapter 3: The Traditional Desktop 49Finding the Desktop and the Start Menu 50Working with the Desktop 51Launching apps with the Start menu 53Jazzing up the desktop’s background 54Toggling between Tablet mode and the desktop 56Dumpster diving in the Recycle Bin 58Bellying Up to the Taskbar 59Shrinking windows to the taskbar and retrieving them 61Switching to different tasks from the taskbar’s Jump Lists 62Clicking the taskbar’s sensitive areas 62Opening the Action Center 66Customizing the taskbar 67Setting Up Virtual Desktops 69Making Programs Easier to Find 72Chapter 4: Basic Desktop Window Mechanics 75Dissecting a Typical Desktop Window 76Tugging on a window’s title bar 77Navigating folders with a window’s Address bar 79Finding commands on the Ribbon 80Quick shortcuts with the Navigation Pane 82Moving inside a window with its scroll bar 84Boring borders 85Maneuvering Windows around the Desktop 86Moving a window to the top of the pile 86Moving a window from here to there 87Making a window fill the whole desktop 87Closing a window 88Making a window bigger or smaller 88Placing two windows side by side 89Making windows open to the same darn size 90Chapter 5: Storage: Internal, External, and in the Cloud 91Browsing the File Explorer File Cabinets 92Getting the Lowdown on Folders 96Peering into Your Drives, Folders, and Other Media 97Seeing the files on a drive 97Seeing what’s inside a folder 100Creating a New Folder 101Renaming a File or Folder 103Selecting Bunches of Files or Folders 104Getting Rid of a File or Folder 105Copying or Moving Files and Folders 106Seeing More Information about Files and Folders 108Writing to CDs and DVDs 111Buying the right kind of blank CDs and DVDs for burning 111Copying files to or from a CD or DVD 112Working with Flash Drives and Memory Cards 115OneDrive: Your Cubbyhole in the Clouds 116Setting up OneDrive 117Changing your OneDrive settings 120Opening and saving files from OneDrive 122Customizing OneDrive for different devices with OneDrive Files On Demand 123Accessing OneDrive from the Internet 126Part 2: Working with Programs, Apps, and Files 129Chapter 6: Playing with Programs, Apps, and Documents 131Starting a Program or an App 132Opening a Document 134Saving a Document 136Choosing Which Program Should Open Which File 138Navigating the Microsoft Store 141Adding new apps from the Store app 142Uninstalling apps 145Taking the Lazy Way with a Desktop Shortcut 146Absolutely Essential Guide to Cutting, Copying, and Pasting 147The quick ’n’ dirty guide to cut ’n’ paste 148Selecting things to cut or copy 148Cutting or copying your selected goods 149Pasting information to another place 151Chapter 7: Finding the Lost 153Finding Currently Running Apps and Programs 153Finding Lost Windows on the Desktop 155Locating a Missing App, Program, Setting, or File 156Searching with Cortana 159Asking Cortana questions 160Finding a Missing File inside a Folder 161Finding Lost Photos 164Finding Other Computers on a Network 164Chapter 8: Printing and Scanning Your Work 167Printing from a Start Menu App 168Printing Your Masterpiece from the Desktop 170Adjusting how your work fits on the page 171Adjusting your printer’s settings 173Canceling a print job 175Printing a web page 176Troubleshooting your printer 178Scanning from the Start Menu 180Part 3: Getting Things Done on the Internet 183Chapter 9: Cruising the Web 185What’s an ISP, and Why Do I Need One? 186Connecting Wirelessly to the Internet 187Browsing the Web with Microsoft Edge 190Moving from one web page to another 192Making Microsoft Edge open to your favorite site 193Revisiting favorite places 195Finding things on the Internet 196Finding More Information on a Website 197Saving Information from the Internet 198Saving a web page 198Saving text 199Saving a picture 199Downloading a program, song, or other type of file 200Chapter 10: Being Social: Mail, People, and Calendar 201Adding Your Accounts to Windows 202Understanding the Mail App 204Switching among the Mail app’s views, menus, and accounts 204Composing and sending an email 207Reading a received email 209Sending and receiving files through email 211Managing Your Contacts in the People App 213Adding contacts 215Deleting or editing contacts 216Managing Appointments in Calendar 217Chapter 11: Safe Computing 221Understanding Those Annoying Permission Messages 221Staying Safe with the New Windows Security Center 222Avoiding and removing viruses 224Avoiding phishing scams 226Setting up controls for children 228Part 4: Customizing and Upgrading Windows 10 233Chapter 12: Customizing Settings in Windows 235Finding the Right Switch 236Flipping Switches with the Windows Settings App 237System 238Devices (adjusting mice, keyboards, scanners, and other gadgets) 244Phone 248Network & Internet 250Personalization (changing your PC’s look and feel) 250Apps 255Accounts 256Time & Language 257Gaming 258Ease of Access 258Search 260Privacy 260Update & Security 261Chapter 13: Keeping Windows from Breaking 263Backing Up Your Computer with File History 264Finding Technical Information about Your Computer 268Freeing Up Space on Your Hard Drive 270Setting Up Devices That Don’t Work (Fiddling with Drivers) 272Chapter 14: Sharing One Computer with Several People 275Understanding User Accounts 276Changing or Adding User Accounts 277Adding an account for a family member or friend 278Changing existing accounts 282Switching Quickly between Users 283Changing a User Account’s Picture 285Setting Up Passwords and Security 287Signing in with Windows Hello 289Chapter 15: Connecting Computers with a Network 293Understanding a Network’s Parts 294Setting Up a Small Network 296Buying parts for a network 296Setting up a wireless router 297Setting up Windows computers to connect to a network 298Sharing Files with Your Networked Computers 300Setting your home network to private 300Sharing files and folders on your private network 303Accessing what others have shared 305Sharing a printer on the network 307Sharing with Nearby Sharing 307Turning on Nearby Sharing 308Sharing files with Nearby Sharing 309Part 5: Music, Photos, and Videos 311Chapter 16: Playing and Copying Music 313Playing Music with the Groove Music app 314Handing Music-Playing Chores Back to Windows Media Player 317Stocking the Windows Media Player Library 320Browsing Windows Media Player’s Libraries 323Playing Music Files in a Playlist 326Controlling Your Now Playing Items 327Playing CDs 329Playing DVDs 330Playing Videos and TV Shows 330Creating, Saving, and Editing Playlists 332Ripping (Copying) CDs to Your PC 333Burning (Creating) Music CDs 335Chapter 17: Fiddling with Photos (and Videos) 337Dumping Photos from a Phone or Camera to Your Computer 338Taking Photos with the Camera App 341Linking Your Phone with Your PC through the Your Phone App 343Viewing Photos with the Photos App 345Viewing your photo collection 346Viewing photo albums 349Viewing a slideshow 351Copying digital photos to a CD or DVD 352Part 6: Help! 355Chapter 18: The Case of the Broken Window 357Toggling between Tablet and Desktop Mode 358The Magic Fixes in Windows 359Resetting your computer 359Restoring backups with File History 363Windows Keeps Asking Me for Permission 367I Need to Retrieve Deleted Files 369I Need to Fix Broken Apps 369My Settings Are Messed Up 370I Forgot My Password 372My Computer is Frozen Solid 373Chapter 19: Strange Messages: What You Did Does Not Compute 375Add Your Microsoft Account 376Choose What Happens with This Device 376Did You Mean to Switch Apps? 377Do You Want to Allow This App to Make Changes to Your Device? 378Do You Want to Save Changes? 379How Do You Want to Open This? 379Threats Found 380How Do You Want to Open This File? 381We’re Not Allowed to Find You 382Reconnect Your Drive 382You Don’t Currently Have Permission to Access This Folder 383Chapter 20: Moving from an Old PC to a New Windows 10 PC 385Hiring a Third Party to Make the Move 386Buying Laplink’s PCmover program 386Visiting a repair shop 388Transferring Files Yourself 389Chapter 21: Help on the Windows Help System 393Getting Started with Windows 10 394Contacting Support 395Microsoft’s paid support options 396Microsoft’s free support options 396Part 7: The Part of Tens 401Chapter 22: Ten Things You’ll Hate about Windows 10 (and How to Fix Them) 403Windows 10 Keeps Changing! 403I Want to Avoid the Apps! 404Pruning apps from the Start menu and your PC 404Telling desktop programs, not apps, to open your files 406I Want to Avoid the Desktop! 407I Don’t Want a Microsoft Account 408Windows Makes Me Sign in All the Time 408The Taskbar Keeps Disappearing 409I Can’t Line Up Two Windows on the Screen 410It Won’t Let Me Do Something Unless I’m an Administrator! 411I Don’t Know What Version of Windows I Have 412My Print Screen Key Doesn’t Work 412Chapter 23: Ten or So Tips for Tablet and Laptop Owners 415Turning on Tablet Mode 416Switching to Airplane Mode 417Connecting to a New Wireless Internet Network 418Toggling Your Tablet’s Screen Rotation 419Adjusting to Different Locations 420Backing Up Your Laptop before Traveling 421Accessing the Mobility Center 422Turning Calculator into a Road Warrior Tool 422Index 425