APC_Australia_Issue_442_June_2017

howto » windows
SEARCH SILENCE
5
The gigantic search box at the bottom left of the screen isn’t
to everyone’s taste, but it’s easy to switch off. Right click an empty
area of the Taskbar, select Search, then ‘Hidden’ to do away with
it. You can also select the Properties menu and use it to switch on
small Taskbar icons for a sleeker look that saves screen space and
shrinks the search box down to a single small icon.
BACKGROUND BOTHER
6
Now let’s search for a little more performance. Earlier,
we switched off auto-running third-party apps; Microsoft also
automatically runs some of its own apps in the background. Click
the Start, Settings, Privacy or Background apps to see the list, and
use the toggle switches to disable them. This has the benefit of
reducing a few of Windows 10’s more pestering pop-ups.
BANDWIDTH PRACTICE
7
Head back to the Settings screen and go to ‘Update &
security’. From the Windows Update tab, click ‘Advanced options’,
then ‘Choose how updates are delivered’. Here, you’ll find a toggle
switch for Microsoft’s new peer-to-peer update sharing service,
which uses your internet connection to send updates to other
Windows 10 users. Switch it off for a little more internet speed.
HIDING ICONS
8
If you’re like us, you have a messy desktop cluttered with files
and icons. There’s no need to delete them all — you can clean up
that desktop to just your wallpaper in a couple of clicks. Right-click
an area of empty space, go to the View menu and deselect ‘Show
Desktop icons’. When you need to see your stuff again, view it
through File Explorer or reverse the process.
ENTER THE CLEANER
9
Our final bit of house-cleaning involves an old favourite
third-party program, CCleaner Free, which you can download from
www.piriform.com/ccleaner. Not only is it great at scouring away
the unwanted stuff lurking beneath Windows 10, you can also use
it to do away with those useless apps that Microsoft insists must
remain installed.
A FULL CLEAN
10
In CCleaner’s tools tab, seek out the built-in Windows 10 apps
you wish to remove, click them, then click Uninstall. Be careful, as
you can remove semi-essential tools like the Windows Store and
it’s very difficult to replace them later on. Finish off by running
CCleaner’s Cleaner function (select it in the left menu) to wipe
away just about everything we haven’t already covered.
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