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A beginner's guide to Dark Souls 3

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If you're having Dark Souls 3 problems I feel bad for you, son... I got 99 items and an Estus ain't one...

With a reputation that preceded it, Dark Souls 3 is finally upon us. Dark Souls 3 is well known for it's punishing boss fights, moody setting and difficult to glean plotlines making it one of the most challenging games ever to grace consoles in the last ten years.

For the "Unkindled" among us, Dark Souls 3 would likely be a source of high blood pressure, broken controllers, and brown pants. The veterans of the series will find it refreshing and as much a challenge as they'd come to expect from developers From Software.

Like the 8th rule of Fight Club, if this is your first Dark Souls, you have to fight.

But if this is your first Dark Souls game, you might find you're feeling a bit bewildered by the story, lack of maps, and absent in-game guide. And frequently dead. To make the passage a little smoother, here are some tips to see you through.

Fashion Souls

Starting a new game, you'll have to make your character. While you can fairly freely choose the look of your character, that's not our focus. The starting class of your character determines your stats and the armor you begin the game with. You're never locked into only using one weapon. If you have the stats to wield a particular weapon or shield, you can use it. You can always amend stats later by levelling up. Weapons also have stats that they scale with to improve damage, as armor increases defense. Increasing these levels will boost the effectiveness of the item.

Later as you find more clothing items to wear, you'll see they have stats too, and even the pieces that don't even look like armor (like skirts) have defenses.

However, armor seems much less useful in Dark Souls 3, though more practical than being completely naked. While most armor sets aren't just cosmetic, you may begin to feel that's all it is.

Know your classes

There is no 'best starting class' as you're able to develop your character any way you please, but your choice of class at the start will impact your character's abilities as you progress through Dark Souls. Here are your options:

  • Knight: The Knight is predominantly a melee character and comes with well-balanced stats right off the bat. You could easily enough include spells to his arsenal, and Knight armor is probably the best you can get early game, making it an excellent choice for new players to the series.
  • Mercenary: The Mercenary is also a melee character. Not as strong as the Knight, but it has better Dexterity, making wielding fast weapons like scimitars and katanas a good choice. This character can dual wield it's starting weapons so that you can attack with both hands.
  • Warrior: The Warrior has high HP, endurance, and strength, making this your go-to damage dealer and you can take more hits. You'd need to invest more points to make magic a viable choice, however.
  • Herald: The Herald starts with a shield which offers 100% block (see the importance of this below), a spear with a long reach and a healing miracle. This would be another good choice for new players. The healing miracle is not very strong, so it wouldn't be wise to rely on that alone.
  • Thief: The Thief starts with high Luck, so enemies will drop items more often upon death and starts with a dagger which is good for critical backstabs. It has high dexterity, but the other stats are lower than the characters listed above.
  • Assassin: With good all round stats, the Assassin comes with a spell which negates fall damage, making stealthy aerial attacks sneakier. The rapier doesn't deal especially high damage, but you'll be able to attack more often as your equipment load is much lighter.
  • Sorceror: High Attunement (which determines how many spells you can equip and how many Focus Points you have) and Intelligence (your spell damage) makes spells a clear choice. You won't be able to equip other armor or weapons early on due to other low stats.
  • Pyromancer: Stats are well balanced, you start with an axe and can cast fire spells. Good for a battle-mage. This class and the Knight have the lowest Luck, so item drops don't occur as often.
  • Cleric: A character that focuses on buffs and damage reduction. With access to good healing spells and a variety of barrier spells, levelling a Cleric right could make a very powerful build capable of massive boosts in damage output and defense.
  • Deprived: Level 1 and all stats at 10. The Deprived wears only rags and carries a club and a wooden plank shield. One for those who like a challenge from the start and take no prisoners in the process.

Shield your eyes

Keeping your shield up is a must. Early in the game, most enemies will be able to cut through you in just two or three hits. Shields have different stats; yours could be more efficient at blocking physical damage than against magic or fire. 100 is the highest rate of blocking defense, which means the shield will block 100% of the damage it takes. However, keep an eye on your Endurance, as blocking will knock the points from your stamina rather than your health. If you're entirely depleted, it will leave you open to having your guard broken leading to taking devastating damage, which you won't be able to dodge away from either.

If you can't keep your shield up, dodge, roll, launch yourself out of harms way.

Once you're feeling more comfortable with the mechanics of the game, you can choose to wield your weapon in two hands, forsaking the safety a shield might provide (best to wear a helmet, then). It is possible to block with a weapon, but with far less efficiency. If you can't keep your shield up, then you should dodge, roll, or launch yourself out of harm's way. Remember, this also uses Endurance. Endurance will regenerate once you stop using it, and you can increase it by levelling up, or increase the rate of regeneration using rings, shields, and Green Moss.

Have a drink on me

Estus, your healing item, can be switched between healing your health points, or healing your magic points. You can allot a specific amount of both, or balance them however you want. This is a new mechanic for Dark Souls 3.

Depending on the character you choose may dictate how you want to tackle this early on. If you're predominantly a magic user that also uses healing spells, you might forgo the healing estus entirely, so you only carry the blue magic estus. If you're mostly a melee character, until you can use sword arts, you may think of allotting all of your estus to healing health.

You're fired!

Bonfires are your checkpoints. Lighting one will give you a new travel point in your bonfire travel menu, and you will be able to use them to travel to and from areas without completely back-tracking. Sitting at a bonfire will also respawn any enemies that you have killed, or reset them back to their starting positions. This is useful if a horde of skeletons is chasing you, but beware; anything that comes into the bonfire area will cause the fire to 'go out'.

The fire is also a good way to know whether or not another player has invaded you. If you happened to put your controller down while you got a drink and came back to find your bonfire is no longer useable, keep an eye out for red phantoms seeking you out.

Free is my favorite price, but beware traps

Talk to every NPC you find in the game and do so more than once. Most often they will give you items for absolutely free, for doing nothing more than talking to them. People you come across during your adventure will end up at Firelink Shrine, and after every couple of bosses, they will give you items as a reward for being so big and vigorous. Go you!

Many objects will be lying around the terrains, but if it looks too good to be true, it usually is. Be wary when picking up items that appear to be unattended. There is a good chance you're about to get slammed by a ballista bolt, or surprise attacked.

Got the time?

The game itself is about patterns and cycles, and the enemies and bosses are no different. The likelihood of taking out a boss on the first try is pretty slim unless you're able to quickly adapt and learn the attack patterns of your enemies.

It takes some people longer than others to learn these patterns, but the end result is the same. Take the time to learn how your enemies move and attack. Plan your assaults between the swings of their weapons.

Take the time to learn how your enemies move and attack. Plan your assaults between the swings of their weapons.

There is an innate need in all of us to go on a full-out offensive when something starts to kick our butts seriously, but this impulse isn't something you can nurture in Dark Souls 3. Getting greedy with hits will invariably get you killed, or at least severely beaten. The urge to keep swinging until you're unable to swing anymore is strong — we've all done it — but Dark Souls 3 will reprimand you most strongly for doing so.

Knowing how your enemies move should also help you strategize how you will proceed. If you have a keen eye and spot that there is a cooldown between hefty boss attacks, you could use these moments to heal or buff your weapons.

Hearts for Arts

Most every weapon has a unique ability or a Battle Art. These are crushingly powerful attacks or short-term boosts to your damage output. Some could be just sharpening the weapon, and others could be low, long, sweeping cuts capable of devastating those unlucky enough to connect with it. Using a Battle Art will decrease your blue Focus Points, so you should only resort to them when you're in a tight spot more rather than going gung-ho and flapping your sword all over the place. Focus points are essentially your 'magic points', and you'll use these when utilising these arts and using spells. Focus can be replenished with the Blue Ash Estus.

BFFs

A large part of Dark Souls' charm comes from the ability to play with your buddies. Whether you're helping each other out by taking down the bosses together, or invading each other's worlds to attack them, it's better with friends. Buying a White Soapstone from the Shrine Handmaiden in Firelink Shrine (to the right of the passage towards the Blacksmith Andre) will enable you to be summoned into other players worlds.

Engaging in fabled Jolly Co-operation can grant you rewards towards your covenants, and at the very least, is a way to earn more souls. Succeeding in clearing the boss with your partner will give you the Ember status back in your own world, granting you more health until the next time you die.

Freely enlist the help of anyone you can, or set up matchmaking passwords so only those who know it will be able to see your summon sign.

Keep Calm and Carry On

One of the biggest threats in Dark Souls 3 comes from within. That's right. The player. I've fought against a single boss for three hours, and it's so hard to keep yourself in check when you see how little progress you've made on getting their health bar down.

The most enjoyable part of the entire Dark Souls series comes from getting it right. The sense of accomplishment you feel when killing that final boss is immense. The number of times I've saved and quit, feeling cheesed off, only to load the game back up mere moments later. Practice makes perfect, and nobody is good at Dark Souls immediately. Even people who know Dark Souls inside out, having plumbed every nook and cranny, will still take damage and die horrible deaths.

You'll Learn To Love It

You will see the words "YOU DIED" more from start to finish of Dark Souls 3 than you would in perhaps three other (non-Dark Souls) games combined. It's designed to be that way, but something about it compels you to keep going. We learn to take death as just a part of the game, and not as an insult to our gaming prowess. We're not dying because we're playing poorly, we're dying because we're not used to being challenged in such a way.

Death is inevitable in Dark Souls 3. With no maps, you're bound to stumble into situations you'll be unable to get out of. Like everything, once you know what you're doing and where you're going, the intimidation factor is massively decreased. You will die, and that's okay!


How to use Messaging Everywhere in Windows 10

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Messaging Everywhere

Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring can now send texts from their Windows 10 PC via their Windows 10 Mobile device. This feature is called Messaging Everywhere, and it's currently in beta if you want to try it out. We made a quick video showing how it works and how you can use it, so make sure to click the play button!

Setting up Messaging Everywhere

  1. Make sure you are signed in with your Microsoft Account on both your PC and phone.
  2. Open the Messaging app on your phone and tap the Ellipsis (3 dots) on the lower right corner.
  3. Select Settings and make sure "Send texts on all my Windows devices" is turned on.

    Messaging Everywhere

  4. Open the Messaging app on your PC, and click the Ellipsis (3 dots) at the bottom.

    Messaging Everywhere

  5. Select Settings, make sure "Send texts from here" is turned on, and select which phone to send messages from.

That's it! You'll now be able to send and receive text messages from your phone directly from your Windows 10 PCs. The Universal Messaging app syncs the conversations on PC and Mobile, so this feature can be very handy if your phone is out of reach. You may also prefer to send the message on your PC if you can type faster on it than your phone.

Messaging Everywhere Preview was introduced in Windows 10 Mobile build 14327 and Windows 10 for PC build 14316. If you want to try it already, make sure you're on the Fast Ring option for Windows Insiders. Have you tried this new feature yet? Do you like it? Let us know in the comments!

How to use Cortana to find and ring your phone

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Cortana Ring my Phone

What's great about participating in the Windows Insider Program is that you can preview new Windows 10 features before they're available to the public. While you can find or ring your phone from the web browser using Microsoft's Device Manager, Insiders can also find their phone with the help of Cortana. Not only will Cortana find your Windows Phone, but she can also hunt down an Android phone if it has Cortana installed.

How to find your phone with Cortana

  1. You'll need to have Cortana on your phone for Cortana on your PC to find the phone. This also works on Android if you installed Cortana from the Google Play Store.

  2. On your PC, start typing "Find my phone" in Cortana's text field and select the result under "I can help with this." Alternatively, you can tap the mic icon and say "Find my phone."

    Cortana find my phone

That's all! It may take a minute or two, but once Cortana finds your phone, a map pops up in Action Center with the location of your phone. Tapping or clicking the map opens the Windows Maps application for a bigger view. Your phones also get a notification that Cortana is looking for the devices.

There are two options available when the notification shows up on your PC. Pressing "Got it" dismisses the notification, while pressing "Ring it" sounds off an alert even when the phone is on Silent mode. You should have enough time to listen for the alert and find the phone. If you don't need a map for your phone, you can skip the steps above and ask Cortana, "Ring my phone."

Find my Phone

This feature is a quick way find your phone if you often misplace it at home. As a reminder, it is currently available in the Preview Build for Windows Insiders, and might not work as expected. For example, Cortana was able to find our phones in Build 14328, but have difficulties in Build 14332. Give it a try and share your experience in the comments!

How to customize notifications on Windows 10 to make them less annoying

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Are notifications starting to annoy you? Use this guide to reduce the number of alerts you get from apps and services on Windows 10.

Action Center is a new feature that Microsoft included in Windows 10 to collect all system and apps notifications in one central place, and keep you from missing any important event.

However, as more apps and services begin to connect with your devices, you can become overwhelmed with so many notifications, and you need a way to control all these alerts coming your way all the time.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll be looking to the different ways in which you can easily customize notifications to make them less annoying, including on specific apps, such as Mail & Calendar and Microsoft Edge. Also, we even show you how to stop displaying badge notifications on taskbar buttons as well as on the Action Center button.

Disclaimer: While many of the customization options we're detailing in this guide are available in the official release of Windows 10 (version 1511), some others are features part of the Anniversary Update, but they are also available in the latest Insider preview of the operating system.

How to customize notifications on Windows 10

Since Microsoft introduced notifications with Windows 8, you're able to control various aspects of how they behave, but in Windows 10, and even with the Anniversary Update, you now have even more control to make notifications less annoying on the desktop.

To customize your notification experience use these steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click System.
  3. Click Notifications & actions.

Once in the notification settings page you can do the following:

Under Notifications, you can turn off various global configurations to reduce the number of alerts you receive on the desktop. For example, you can stop showing tips about Windows, and you can stop showing alarms, reminders, or incoming call on the lock screen.

If you often show PowerPoint presentations or another kind of slides, one feature you want to turn on is the "Hide notifications while presenting". (The last thing you want is to get interrupted by a toast notification in the middle of a business meeting.)

Under Show notifications from these apps, you can manually turn on or off which apps show notifications.

If you want to get more granular, you can also click an app to customize different types of notification features for a particular app.

For example, you can turn off various settings, including the ability to let the app receive notifications, but suppressing the banner, which will only make them available through Action Center. Or you can set it to only show banner while stopping notifications from appearing in Action Center.

Also, if you have an app the gets a lot of notifications, such as the Mail app, you can also choose to stop playing a sound when a new notification arrives.

Starting with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update and later, Microsoft is also adding the ability to configure the number of notifications an app can display, and you can also set their priority inside Actions center.

The default number of visible notifications per app is three, but you can set a minimum of 1 or a max of 20. For priority, you can choose between three levels, including Top, High, Normal (default).

More notification options

There are additional notification options that you can configure, but Microsoft is listing them in different sections of the Settings app, or they are built into specific apps.

How to change the time on notifications

If toast notifications are being displayed for too long for your liking, you can change how long notifications are shown by using these steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click System.
  3. Click Ease of Access.
  4. Click Other options.
  5. Under Visual options, select for how long you want toast notifications are shown. The default option is 5 seconds, but you can choose up to 5 minutes.

How to change Mail & Calendar notifications

While you can customize many options through the Settings app, perhaps you only want to reduce the number of notifications from a particular email account, but you may not want to disable necessarily all notifications globally.

The following steps will show you the how to customize notifications on each email account in the Mail app:

  1. Open the Mail app.
  2. Click the Settings button.
  3. Click Notifications.

  4. Select the account and customize whether you want to show notifications in the Action Center, show banner, and play a sound.

How to disable web notifications for specific sites on Microsoft Edge

In the Anniversary Update for Windows 10, Microsoft is introducing web notifications that also show up in Action Center. And similar to the Mail app, you can easily manage these notifications after you allowed websites to show banners and alerts.

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. Open the browser's menu and select Settings.
  3. Scroll down and click Advanced settings.
  4. Scroll down and under notifications, click Manage.

  5. In this section, you'll see listed all the sites currently allowed to show notifications. Either turn off the site that you want to stop temporarily seeing alerts or hover over the site name and click "X" to delete the site.

How to disable badge notifications on the taskbar

Badges are a new type of notifications that appear on supported Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and on the Action Center button in the taskbar to notify you of any alert on a particular app.

Although they are quite useful as you don't have to open Action Center, Start, or the app to see alerts, Windows 10 is attacking you with notifications on all fronts, which can make badges in the taskbar a little too much for some people.

If you prefer to disable these notifications, then do the following:

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Personalization.
  3. Click Taskbar.
  4. Turn off the Show badges on taskbar buttons.

The previous steps will stop badges from showing up in the taskbar, but not in the Action Center button. If you also want to disable the badge and app icons for the button, then right-click Action Center button in the right corner of the taskbar, and select Don't show app icons and Don't show number of new notifications.

It's worth pointing out that badges are new to Windows 10, but they're not unique. Apple OS X and iOS have included support for badge notifications for a long time.

Wrapping things up

Of course, remember that for those times when you need a total pause from notifications, you can always open Action Center (Windows key + A) or right-click the Action Center button in the taskbar to enable Quiet Hours.

While Windows 10 can overwhelm you with tons of notifications by default, the operating system incorporates different customization options to reduce the number of alerts you get in your devices. And as we've looked in this guide, you can control notifications globally in your computer and per app.

How do you have set up notifications on your Windows 10 device? Let us know in the comments below.

More on Windows 10

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

How to dual-boot Windows 10 alongside an Insider Preview build

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Do you want to test the upcoming features of Windows 10 without upgrading your PC? Use this guide to setup a dual-boot system with the latest Insider Preview build.

The advantages with a dual-boot setup on your computer is that enables you to run two different operating systems without affecting each installation configurations, you can run programs that may not be compatible with other versions, and you don't have hardware restrictions as you would using a virtualization solution.

If you're a Windows 10 user, you may be tempted to install early preview builds of the operating system, which Microsoft makes available through the Windows Insider Program so that you can test upcoming features and changes.

However, the issue is that when you're running an unfinished software, you can come across a lot of problems, including an unsuccessful upgrade that could potentially ruin your current setup, you may also come across a lot of bugs, and many features under development that may not work correctly. In the end, it could end up being an unnecessary risk that could cost you.

While you could use a spare computer, if you don't have one, you can still install a Windows 10 Insider Preview alongside your current installation of Windows 10 using a dual-boot setup.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll guide you through all the steps to successfully create a dual-boot setup that will allow you to run the test version of the operating system without having to mess up your main version of Windows 10.

Things you'll need to complete this guide

  • A Windows 10 PC
  • At least 20GB of available space in the hard drive
  • One USB external hard drive with enough space to make a full backup
  • A Windows 10 bootable media
  • A new valid product key of Windows 10

Full backup of Windows 10

You will be modifying your computer's partition, as such before diving into this guide is critical that you make a full backup of your computer in case anything goes wrong and you need to roll back.

  1. Connect the external hard drive to your computer.
  2. Open the Start menu, type Backup and Restore (Windows 7), and press Enter.
  3. Click Create a system image from the left pane.

  4. Select the drive to store the backup from the "On a hard drive" drop-down menu.
  5. Click Next to continue.

  6. Click Start backup to begin the process.

When the full backup completes, disconnect the hard drive, and store it in a save place.

Getting the Windows 10 installation files

There is a few ways in which you can download the installation files to do this particular installation. You can quickly download the Windows 10 ISO file without the need of using the Media Creation Tool through the Windows 10 Tech Bench Upgrade Program website.

Or you can download the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview ISO that has been released through the Slow ring of updates.

If you need the instructions to create a bootable media of Windows 10, we got you covered -- check our previous guide.

With either choice, you will still need to download and install the latest update for the Insider Preview build available, as Microsoft only rolls out new Windows 10 builds on the Fast ring through Windows Update. However, if you choose to download the ISO file of Windows 10 on the Slow ring, you won't need to go through the Windows Insider Preview initial enrolment. You'll only need to switch from the Slow to Fast ring.

Important: While it might be obvious for some people, you can't use the same product key from your primary operating system in the new installation. You will need a new product key to properly activate the second copy of Windows 10, which you can easily get from the Store (see instructions below).

Making room to install the preview version of Windows 10

Before you can proceed to install a pre-release version of Windows 10, you need to modify your PC's current partition configuration. There are many ways to do this, but the easiest way is by using the Disk Management tool that comes with the operating system.

  1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu.
  2. Click Disk Management.
  3. Right-click the partition where Windows 10 is currently installed -- Typically the C: drive --, and click Shrink Volume.

  4. Disk Management will analyze the drive, and it'll show you the maximum space it can shrink the current primary partition while making sure there some space available for future upgrades.

    Make sure to shrink the partition only enough to hold a new installation. You won't need more than 20GB to 30GB.

    Enter the amount of space you want to shrink in megabytes (e.g., 25000 MB to shrink the partition 25GB), and click Shrink.

  5. After the shrinking process completes, you will end up with a new portion of unallocated space. Right-click the unallocated space, and click New Simple Volume.

  6. In the New Simple Volume Wizard, click Next.
  7. Specify the amount of space for the new partition in megabytes and click Next.

  8. Click Next.
  9. Make sure the file system option is set to NTFS and check the box to perform a quick format, and click Next.

  10. Click Finish to complete.

Changing the boot order in your PC's BIOS

Before you can install the Windows 10 Insider Preview build on your computer, you need to make sure you can boot from the drive with the installation files, such as a USB flash drive or DVD drive.

You do this by changing the boot order options in your computer's BIOS. The process to access the BIOS usually requires you to hit one of the functions keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12), the Delete or ESC key on your keyboard. However, it's a good idea to check with your computer's manufacturer support website for more specific instructions.

On a Windows 10 PC with a UEFI BIOS, changing the boot order is a little bit different:

  1. While signed in on your PC, use the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Update & security.
  3. Click Recovery.
  4. Under Advanced startup, click Restart now.

  5. Click Troubleshoot.
  6. Click Advanced options.
  7. Click UEFI Firmware Settings.
  8. Click Restart.

Once in your computer's BIOS, change the proper settings to boot from the drive with the Windows 10 installation files.

How to install Windows 10 Insider Preview preview on a second partition

  1. Connect the bootable USB flash drive with the Windows 10 installation files and restart your computer.
  2. Press any key to boot to the Windows Setup wizard.
  3. Select language and keyboard settings, and click Next.

  4. Click Install Now.

  5. If prompted, enter the product key, or click I don't have a product key to skip. However, you'll need to enter your product key information after the installation.

  6. Select the correct edition for the product key you've purchased, and click Next.

  7. Accept the licensing terms, and click Next.
  8. Choose the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option.

  9. Carefully select the new partition you've created earlier to install the Insider Preview, and click Next.

    Quick Tip: The empty partition for the new installation is the one that has the same amount of "free space" as the amount of "total space" available.

  10. After a few reboots, simply follow the on-screen directions to customize the operating system to your needs, such as setting up your Microsoft Account, enabling Cortana, etc.

Activate Windows 10

After the installation completes, if you haven't entered a product key during the setup wizard, you will need to activate your copy of the operating system using the following steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Update & security.
  3. Click the Change product key button and enter the product key for the edition of Windows 10 you have installed.

If you don't have a valid product key, you can also click the Go to Store button to purchase a new copy of the operating system.

Enroll your computer in the Windows Insider Program

If you used the ISO containing the files to install the latest Insider Preview build of Windows 10 that Microsoft made available through the Slow ring of updates, then your PC is already enrolled, but to the Slow ring.

However, if you want to test the latest and greatest features and changes, you need to switch to the Fast ring and update your computer.

  1. Use the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Update & security.
  3. Click Windows Update.
  4. Click Advanced options.
  5. Change the settings from Slow to Fast.

  6. Go back to the Windows Update and click Check for updates.

If you don't see the latest Windows 10 build downloading, restart your computer, and check for updates again. However, it might take some time until your PC receives the new update.

If you installed Windows 10 using the latest public release, you will need to enroll your computer to the Windows Insider Program to upgrade your system.

  1. Use the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Update & security.
  3. Click Windows Update.
  4. Click Advanced options.
  5. Under "Get Insider Preview builds", click the Get started button and follow the on-screen instructions. (If after clicking the button nothing happens, restart your computer and try again.)

  6. Once the latest version of the Windows 10 Insider Preview downloads, you'll be prompted to restart to complete the installation. Click Restart now and wait for the installation to finish.

Bootloader manager configuration

After installing the second version of the operating system on your computer, you will likely are going to end up with two "Windows 10" entries on the bootloader manager when you start your computer.

While the bootloader manager will always list the last operating system, you installed as the first option from the top down. You'll probably want to change the description to make sure what version of the operating system to load at boot.

You can easily change the bootloader description for the Insider Preview installation with the following instructions:

  1. Start your computer with Windows 10 Insider Preview.
  2. Use the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
  3. Type the following command and press Enter:

    bcdedit /set {current} description "Windows 10 Insider Preview"

  4. Restart your computer to see the changes.

In the case, after the installation, you end up with the classic bootloader user interface, instead of the blue modern manager, you can switch to the new menu with the following instructions.

  1. Use the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Type the following command and press Enter:

    bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard

  3. Restart your computer to see the changes.

Rolling back to single boot operating system

When you had enough testing the new features and changes for Windows 10, you can use the following instructions to delete the Insider preview installation.

  1. Start your computer with your main version of Windows 10.
  2. Open Start, search for MSConfig, and press Enter.
  3. Click the Boot tab.
  4. Select from the list the name of the operating system you want to delete.
  5. Click Delete.
  6. Click Apply.
  7. Click OK.

  8. Use the Windows key + X to open the Power User menu and select Disk Management.
  9. Right-click the partition that has installed a copy of the Windows 10 Insider Preview, and select Delete Volume.

  10. Click Yes to confirm deletion.
  11. After deleting the partition, your computer once again will end up with unallocated hard drive space. Right-click the Windows (C:) partition, and select Extend Volume.

  12. In the wizard just leave all the default settings and complete the process.
  13. Restart your computer to complete.

Once you reboot your computer, everything should go back to the way it was before with a single installation of Windows 10 with all your settings and apps.

How do you test Windows 10 Insider Builds? Tell us in the comments below.

More on Windows 10

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

How to configure Active Hours to avoid Windows 10 sudden restarts during updates

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Stop Windows 10 from automatically restarting to install new updates by setting up Active Hours.

It can be a little irritating when you come back to your computer to finish working on a report, only to find out that Windows 10 restarted to install new updates, and your work didn't save. While you can't stop updates from downloading and installing into your system, Microsoft is introducing new update improvements with the Anniversary Update of the operating system, which you can already test starting with Windows 10 build 14316 and later releases.

The new improvements come in a new feature called "Active Hours," which aims to make updates more pleasant by letting you specify the hours you're more likely to be using your computer to prevent Windows Update from restarting your system automatically.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to configure Active Hours on your PC to make Windows updates a little less annoying.

How to configure Active Hours on your PC

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Update & security.
  3. Under Update settings, you will notice a few extra links, click Change Active Hours.

  4. Specify the time you're actively using your computer.
  5. Click Save to commit the changes.

Note that the maximum active length of time you can set is 10 hours. Any other time range will be marked as invalid.

Now everything falls into schedule. Even though you can specify the hours you are actively using your computer, there will alway be those times when you'll have to pull an all-nighter to finish working on a project. And again, the last thing you want is Windows 10 restarting in the middle of your work, which can take some time — even longer if your PC runs into an issue while processing the update.

For these situations, Windows 10 includes the restart options, which you can use to temporarily override and set a custom restart time for the operating system to finish installing the new updates.

To set a custom restart time do the following:

  1. While in the Settings app, go back to Windows Update.
  2. Click the Restart options link under Update settings.
  3. Turn on the feature, and set the custom time and day.

Remember that you will only be able to change the "Restart options" settings when a new update is available. Otherwise, the feature will be greyed out.

This is a small but welcome addition Microsoft is bringing with the Anniversary Update that gives users a little more control over updates, and helps to prevent the loss of unsaved work when auto-save for a specific app or web service is not working correctly or not supported.

Will you be setting up your custom active hours on Windows 10? Tell us in the comments below.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

Interop Tools for Windows 10 Mobile lets you edit your registry for some hacking fun

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 Interop Tools for Windows 10 Mobile

Microsoft's Windows Phone and Window 10 Mobile operating systems have always been more locked down than Android, but there are ways around the security.

A new tool just released by Gustave M (@gus33000) lets those on non-interop unlocked devices edit their registries, which could let users tinker around with the OS. The app is still in beta but is available and working.

Interop Tools brings with it three main components for now, including:

  • Registry Editor
  • Registry Browser
  • Secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Who is this for?

Modifying your registry on a Windows Phone is considered an advanced modification. While it is easy to do with this tool, you can damage your OS. If that happens you will likely need to use the Microsoft Windows Device Recover Tool to re-flash your phone losing any data, saved games, documents, photos, and videos in the process.

Please back up your device before any modifications!

Registry changes can be found at various forums including XDA and even our own at Windows Central. Like all hacks, be careful as there could be unintended consequences. There is a reason why Microsoft locks these features down!

It should also be noted that since this is not an app per se there is no easy (or rather, obvious) way to uninstall it once on your phone.

Where to find it

The Interop Tools (temporary name) by Gustave is not in the Store. As such, you need to download the AppX file from Mega and sideload it onto your device.

Warning

Normally, this should be a red flag as developers do this all the time to test their apps, but it is not recommended to install random AppX files found on the internet.

While there is still a risk here, Gustave is a well-known developer and tinkering on XDA forums and has a public, if slightly underground, reputation. Use your judgment accordingly, but in this case, we are giving a nod for those who are concerned.

If still interested download from the link below:

Interop Tools by Gustave at Mega

Enable Developer Mode

To install Interop Tools, you first need to have your phone in developer mode to accept side loading of AppX files.

  1. Settings
  2. Update & security
  3. For developers

From the Use developer features area choose Developer mode and accept the warning. Once again, your phone does not need to be interop unlocked to install this tool.

Download and install

After you have downloaded the AppX file you can open the file directly in Outlook (if emailed it to yourself) or use File Explorer to navigate to where you download it to on your device (usually Downloads folder.

Tapping on the AppX will give you a messaging asking if you want to install the file. Select install from the dialog menu.

That is all that is required.

Where to find Interop Tools

Interop Tools will not show up as an app on your device. Instead, it is found under Extras.

  1. Settings
  2. Extras (at the bottom; you may have a nested Extras to tap again)
  3. Select Interop Tools from the list

Now you should see the app opened and from here you can tinker with your registry, just be careful!

Which Windows Insider Ring is best? All you need to know about Slow, Fast, and Release Preview rings

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Rings, rings, rings! Which is the best Windows Insider ring for you and what are the risks involved? We break it all down for you in this comprehensive article.

Back in February, Microsoft introduced a third Ring for the Windows Insider program for PC and Phones called Release Preview. That was in addition to the already existing Fast and Slow Rings.

While some of the rings seem self-explanatory, we still see frequent requests by users as to which Ring is best for them. In this article, we'll try our best to break it down.

A word of caution about Insider rings

The important thing to remember about the Windows Insider program and Rings is that you can always go up in build numbers for example 10586.218 to 10586.242, but you cannot go back down e.g. 14332.1001 back to 10586.218 without resetting or reflashing your PC and phone, respectively.

That means you can go from Production to Fast Ring, but you cannot go back to Production without a little footwork.

If you are on Windows 10 or Mobile, and you are going into Fast Ring, it will be a small project to go back to any other build like Production or Release Preview. Just keep that in mind when reading below and before deciding.

Speed in enrolling

When you are enrolling in the Windows Insider program there is some difference in time for it to kick in:

  • PC– For PCs and laptops, once you go from Production to any other Ring for the first time it could take upwards of 24 hours before you get the OS update. Once enrolled, however, you can change rings immediately.
  • Phone– Phones, for some reason, are instant. As soon as you enroll, your phone goes into that ring and can get the OS update right away. The same applies for changing rings.

Types of Rings

Fast Ring

Fast Ring is ideal for those with a second PC or Windows phone who don't mind taking some risks. While you can easily use Fast Ring on your primary device, you are taking a risk of a less-than-stellar user experience. This risk is doubly true for Mobile and phone where the new bugs could be bothersome. As Fast Ring evolves for new milestones e.g. Redstone 1 they do become more stable.

There is little tolerance for complaining about bugs or issues with Fast Ring as that is what you are signing up for when you join. Microsoft knows Fast Ring is buggy, which is why it exists. Nonetheless, you are highly encouraged to report those bugs and give feedback using the Feedback Hub.

What is a branch? - Fast Ring is a different branch of the OS than what is currently shipping on new PCs and phones. Branch is a term for developers that means the OS is splintering off the main code base so Microsoft (in this case) can do things like refactoring the OS, add new features, and change core aspects of the OS.

Later, this branch merges into the main OS when an official OS update is released for everyone on Windows 10. For example, the current branch is codenamed "Redstone 1" but will be released to everyone as the Windows 10 Anniversary Update sometime in July (rumored).

Windows 10 Anniversary Update - All you need to know!

A more concrete way to see a branch is in the build numbers. The current production release is 10586.xxx or 10586.218 whereas the "Redstone 1" branch is 14xxx.xxxx or 14332.1001. To see your OS version just type in "winver" into the Cortana/Search box on your desktop or Settings and About on the phone.

Frequency - Updates usually arrive for Fast Ring every two weeks, although sometimes the frequency is even higher. Your phone or PC will be out of commission during the update process, and this could interrupt your workflow.

The tradeoff with the risks associated with Fast Ring is you get new features first, which is great for enthusiast users. However, sometimes those new features are only partially operational, so it can be a mixed back until more updates come through.

App Rings - Finally, there are also 'app fast rings' where certain core apps like Outlook and Groove can get different updates (build numbers) than Production or Release Preview. Since new OS features rely on the OS and the corresponding apps, this makes sense.

Slow Ring

Slow Ring is a harder to classify if you are new to the Insider program. The short version is that you are still taking a risk if you want this on your daily machine or phone, but it is a few builds behind the Fast Ring, so it's not as risky if that makes sense.

Here are some other bits about Slow Ring:

  • Slow Ring is more stable than Fast Ring
  • Slow Ring has fewer updates than Fast Ring i.e. every six weeks or more
  • Slow Ring is the same branch as Fast Ring
  • You still get new features, but obviously not as quickly as Fast Ring

Slow Ring is still in the "experimental" category for Windows 10 as an OS, but it is not as risky. This, however, is where it gets grey as there are still some bugs and quirks, but people's thresholds vary as to what is a buggy and what is not. Plus, your experience depends on your device, drivers, etc.

Release Preview

Release Preview is the newest and perhaps more interesting ring for those who want the latest bits of Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, but do not want to leave the current branch.

In other words, Release Preview is just an update to 10586.xxx. For instance, the version of the OS that is released for the public right now is 10586.218, but Release Preview is 10586.240 for PC and 10586.242 for Phone.

Once or twice a month Microsoft releases cumulative updates (or patches) for PCs and Mobile. These usually fall on "Patch Tuesday". These updates are bug fixes, security patches, improvements to the OS, general enhancements and more.

Everyone gets these updates eventually, but Release Preview users get them earlier. You will rarely get new features with this Ring, but you can be assured of its stability. If anything, your phone or PC will get better with this update as it just Microsoft optimizing the OS for everyone.

If you are happy with Windows 10 or Windows 10 Mobile but want fixes and patches early then this is the build for you. Feel free to install this on your main PC or daily use phone because you are going to get it in a few weeks (at most) anyway!

Production Ring

Finally, there is technically a fourth ring called Production. However, you only see this option given if you are already enrolled in a Fast, Slow, or Preview Release.

Production simply means the publicly available version of Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile that is open to everyone.

You only choose this ring when you want to stop getting Insider updates.

Note, however, that if you are in the Fast or Slow ring, going back to Production does not roll back your phone to the main branch. Instead, you will need to use the Windows Device Recovery Tool (WDRT) to re-flash your phone or use the rest feature in Windows 10 for PC.

You can quickly go up the OS ladder, but getting back down is tricky.

Wrap up

Microsoft's Window Insider program is a vast and sprawling machine that is constantly growing and improving. Rings are an important part of that project to make "Windows as a Service" (WaaS) where the OS is just constantly and perpetually updated and improved.

Which ring you choose depends on how many devices you may have, how much of a risk taker you are and how many issues you are willing to deal with for a release.

Personally speaking, I think Release Preview will give you the most stable, consistent and rewarding experience if you are okay with not getting the fun stuff in Fast or Slow Ring. If you just need your PC or phone to work then go with Release Preview.

If you have a spare Windows Phone laying around or an old tablet feel free to put the Fast or Slow ring on it. If you have few issues, consider it for your primary phone or PC. Or, if you just don't mind bugs, possible battery issues, etc. then just go for it. You could always re-flash your PC or phone to the main branch; it may take you 30-90 minutes, but it's not the end of the world if something goes wrong.

Just remember to back up everything!


How to set up two-step verification on your Outlook and Microsoft Accounts

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Make it harder for someone to access your Outlook and Microsoft accounts by setting up two-step verification. In this guide, we'll show you how to set it up!

Two-step verification, often referred by users as "two-factor authentication" and sometimes abbreviated as "2FA", is an advanced security layer included on Microsoft Accounts to make it more difficult for hackers to get access and gain control of your account. This layer includes Outlook.com, as all Microsoft services connect through the same account.

Even if someone managed to guess your password, without the second form of authentication, it would be near impossible to break in on your account.

Microsoft offers three ways to set up two-step verification. You can use a secondary email address, phone number, or you can also opt to configure an authenticator app. Once a second authentication is set up, every time you sign in from a new location or on a new device, you'll be prompted a security code to prove that you're, who to say you are.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to set up two-step verification on your Microsoft Account to prevent others from trying to break into your Outlook, Xbox Live, OneDrive, Office 365, and other Microsoft services.>

How to set up two-step verification using authenticator app

While you can set up two-step verification using an email address or your phone number, Microsoft recommends (whenever possible) to configure the authenticator app if you have a smartphone. The benefit using the app is that makes things easier, and you'll get the security code even if the device isn't connected to a cellular network.

Use the following instructions to make your account more secure using the authenticator app:

  1. Follow this link to access your Security settings on your Microsoft Account and sign in with your credentials. (Alternatively, you can also sign in to your Outlook.com account, click your name in the top-right corner, and click Account settings.)
  2. Click the Set up two-step verification link.

  3. Click Next.
  4. If you're trying to set up an account that is connected to a mobile device, it's likely that won't be offered the choice to select the verification method, but if you do, then choose An app from the drop-down menu.
  5. Select your device (e.g., Windows Phone, Android, or iPhone), and then click Next.

  6. Follow the next instructions depending on your device platform:

    Windows Phone:

    1. Install the Authenticator app.
    2. Launch the app.
    3. Tap the "+" button to add a new account.
    4. Tap the camera button on the screen and scan the barcode to pair the device.

    5. Type the code generated on your phone on the last step, and click Next.

    Android:

    1. Install the Microsoft Account app.
    2. Launch the app.
    3. Tap the set up now button.
    4. Enter the credentials for the account you want to associate, and click Next.
    5. Tap finish to complete.

    iPhone:

    1. Install the Azure Authenticator app.
    2. Launch the app.
    3. Tap scan QR code to pair your device.

    4. Type the code generated on your phone on the last step and click Next.
  7. Print your recovery code in case you need to regain control of your account, and click Next.
  8. Click Next again.
  9. Click Finish.

How to set up two-step verification with a phone number

Another way you can set up two-step verification on your Outlook and Microsoft accounts is by using your phone number. However, remember that your phone needs to be connected to a cellular network to receive the text or call with the security code.

  1. Follow this link to access your Security settings on your Microsoft Account and sign in with your credentials. (Alternatively, you can also sign in to your Outlook.com account, click your name in the top-right corner, and click Account settings.)
  2. Click the Set up two-step verification link.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Select the A phone number option from the drop-down list and enter your phone information.
  5. Choose whether you like to get the security code via text or call and click Next.

  6. Enter the code you have received on phone and click Next.

  7. Click Next again.
  8. Click Finish to complete.

How to set up two-step verification with an email address

Alternatively, you can also use an alternative email address to protect your Microsoft online services. (Remember that you can't use an Outlook alias associated with the account you're trying to set up.)

  1. Follow this link to access your Security settings on your Microsoft Account and sign in with your credentials. (Alternatively, you can also sign in to your Outlook.com account, click your name in the top-right corner, and click Account settings.)
  2. Click the Set up two-step verification link.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Select An alternate email address option from the drop-down list and enter your new email address.
  5. Click Next.

  6. Sign in with your alternate email account, enter requested code on your Microsoft Account, and click Next.

  7. Click Next again.
  8. Click Finish to complete.

Generating new app passwords

After setting up two-step verification apps and devices, such as Xbox 360, Outlook desktop app for PC or Mac, Office 2010, Office for Mac 2011, or earlier, Windows Essentials apps, and others will stop working with your old password. The reason is that they don't support two-factor authentication, but you can fix this issue by creating an app password for each app and device that requires it.

  1. Follow this link to access your Security settings on your Microsoft Account and sign in with your credentials.
  2. Under App passwords, click the Create a new app password link.

  3. On the app or device make sure to update the password with the new one.

  4. Repeat the previous steps to create an app password for each device.

Keep in mind that if you happen to forget the app password there isn't a way to retrieve it, you'll need to create a new one. If you want to stop using app passwords, simply go back to the Security settings page, and click the Remove existing app passwords link.

The more secure sign-in experience

Once you have set up two-step verification on your Microsoft Account, every time you need to sign into your Outlook or to another Microsoft service, you'll be asked to enter a security code.

If you feel that entering two forms of authentication is a chore, you can add your device to the list of trusted devices by checking the "I sign in frequently on this device Don't ask me for a code" option.

Go back to one-step verification

While it's recommended to set up two-step verification on your account and keep it setup that way, it might come the time when you don't use this extra security layer, or you may want to change the authentication method. As such, to disable two-step verification do use the following steps:

  1. Follow this link to access your Security settings on your Microsoft Account and sign in with your credentials.
  2. Click the Turn off two-step verification link.
  3. Click Yes to confirm.
  4. Under Identity verification app, click the Turn off existing apps link.
  5. Click Remove to complete removing two-step verification on your account.

It's important not to forget that once you've disabled two-step verification, you need to update with your old password the apps and devices you updated with the app passwords to get them working again.

Are you using two-step verification on your Outlook and Microsoft accounts? Tell us in the comments below.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

How to change a Windows 10 user account type and why

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If you have to give users more control over on what they can do on your computer, then use this guide to change their account types on Windows 10.

Every time you go through the out-of-the-box experience on a new installation of Windows 10, you're required to create a user account. The first account you create will always be an Administrator account, which allows you to manage every aspect of your computer. However, when you need to share your computer with family members or friends by default the accounts are created as Standard User, which are more restricted, and sometimes it may not be the best option.

Windows 10 offers two account types: Administrator and Standard User. (In previous versions there was also the Guest account, but that was removed with Windows 10.)

  • Administrator accounts have complete control over a computer. Users with this type of account can change settings globally, install programs, get through the User Account Control (UAC) when elevation to perform a task is required, and everything else.

  • Standard User accounts have more limited control. Users with this type of account can run applications, but they can't install new programs. Users can change system settings, but only settings that won't affect other accounts. If a task requires elevations an username and password for an administrator will be needed to pass through the UAC prompt.

The Standard User account works best for a child's account or may be for someone who only needs to do the very minimum (or can't be trusted to not muck things up). However, there will be times when you may want to give users more freedom on what they can do. In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through four ways in which you can change a user account type on your computer.

1. Change a user account type on Settings

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Accounts.
  3. Click Family & other people.
  4. Under Other people, select the user account, and click Change account type.

  5. Under Account type, select Administrator from the drop down menu.

  6. Click OK to complete the task.

If the user was using an Administrator account, you could use the same instructions to change the type to a Standard User account.

2. Change a user account type on Control Panel

One of the great things about Windows is being able to accomplish the same task in a number of different ways.

If you're looking to change an account type using Control Panel, then you can use the following steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Control Panel.
  2. Click Change account type.

  3. Click the user account you want to change.
  4. Click Change the account type.

  5. Select Standard or Administrator.
  6. Click the Change Account Type button to complete the task.

3. Change a user account type on User Accounts

Another more direct way to change a user account type is using User Accounts (netplwiz).

  1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the run command, type netplwiz, and press Enter.
  2. Select the user account and click the Properties button.

  3. Click the Group Membership tab.
  4. Choose the account type: Standard User or Administrator. Also, note that you can even select Other, to choose from a number of different access levels, including Backup Operators, Power Users, and Remote Desktop Users.
  5. Click OK.
  6. Click Apply to complete the task.

4. Change a user account type using Command Prompt

Finally, for tech-savvy users, there is always the choice to change a user account type using the Command Prompt.

  1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt (Admin).
  2. Type the following command to change account type to Administrator and press Enter:

    net localgroup Administrators "account-name" /add

  3. Type the following command to change account type to Standard User and press Enter:

    net localgroup Administrators "account-name" /delete

    An administrator account by default is part of the "Administrators" and "Users" groups, which means that to make an account "Standard User," we only need to remove the account from the "Administrators" group.

  4. Double-check the user account is now a Standard User account by using the following command to view all members of the Users group.

    net localgroup Users

    If you see the account listed, then no more actions need to be taken. However, if the account is not part of the Users group, then use the following command and press Enter.

    net localgroup Users "account-name" /add

Keep in mind that while we're focusing this guide for Windows 10 users, you can use these instructions on Windows 8.1, and even Windows 7 and previous versions of the operating system using the steps to change an account type with Command Prompt, Control Panel, and User Accounts (netplwiz).

For additional help, check out our previous guide to learn more about how manage user accounts on Windows 10.

What's your preferred method to change an account type on Windows 10? Let us know in the comments below.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

How to install non-compatible printer drivers on Windows 10

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How to install non-compatible printer drivers on Windows 10

Get your printer working again on Windows 10

Although many printer manufacturers are keeping their drivers functional with Windows 10, if you have an older printer it might not be officially supported. But the end of official driver support doesn't necessarily have to mean the end of your printer. Follow these steps below to install non-compatible drivers on Windows 10.

How to install non-compatible printer drivers on Windows 10

In this case I will download the Canon SELPHY CP800 Windows 7 driver and install it on Windows 10. Download the driver from the specific website, plug in the printer through a USB port, then follow these steps.

  1. Right-click on the driver file.
  2. Click on Troubleshoot compatibility.

    Right click the driver file. Click Troubleshoot Compatibility.

  3. Click on Troubleshoot program.
  4. Check the box that says The program worked in earlier versions of Windows but won't install or run now.

    Click Troubleshoot Program. Check the box that says The program worked in earlier versions of Windows.

  5. Click on Next.
  6. Click on Windows 7.

    Click Next. Click Windows 7.

  7. Click on Next.
  8. Click on Test the program.

    Click Next. Click Test the program...

Windows 10 might ask you for permission to install. Allow the driver manufacturer to make changes to your PC. The driver will now install and your printer will be ready for use following installation.

If the installation doesn't begin and you encounter an error, make sure your printer is connected to your computer.

Feedback

Did these steps work for you? Let us know in the comment section below, and don't forget to add anything we might have missed.

How to change your account name on the Windows 10 sign-in screen

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When you want to make the sign-in screen more private, use this guide to change your account name on Windows 10.

If you're running Windows 10 on your PC, you probably already noticed that your full name along with your email address always show up on the sign-in screen -- personal information that is pulled down from your Microsoft Account that you used to set up your computer.

While typically there is nothing wrong displaying the user's full name on the sign-in screen, some people may see this as a privacy concern when they use their computer in a public place.

The problem is that Windows 10 doesn't offer an option to remove your full name, or opt to use an username instead, as it's possible when using a local user account. However, you can get around this issue by changing your Microsoft Account name online to something that doesn't completely reveals your full identity, such as only using a few letters of your name and last name, or something entirely different.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to quickly change the displayed name in the sign-in screen on your device to make it more private.

How to change your sign-in screen name on Windows 10

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Accounts.
  3. Click Your email and accounts.
  4. Click the Manage my Microsoft Account link to open the web browser and load your profile.

  5. In the main page click the Edit name link.

  6. Change your name and last name to something less identifiable, and click Save.

  7. Restart your computer.

Once you've rebooted your system, you'll notice that your name will change as you sign-in, but it could take some time until the new changes sync to your machine.

It's important to note that by following these instructions, you'll also be changing the name on your Outlook.com account and other Microsoft services, as well as the account name of any other computer that is connected with your Microsoft Account.

Furthermore, you could try different tricks to change your name in the sign-in screen with the old User Account manager (netplwiz) or some sort of registry hack, but be aware that the changes will revert to the settings from your Microsoft Account as soon as you sign in back after restarting your computer.

How to change a local account name on Windows 10

If you're using a local account, then you can use these steps to change the name of your account that appears in the sign-in screen.

  1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Control Panel.
  2. Click the Change account type link.
  3. Select your local account.
  4. Click the Change the account name link.

  5. Enter the new name for the account.

  6. Click the Change Name button to complete the task.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

How to hide specific user accounts from the sign-in screen on Windows 10

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When you have too many people using your PC, or you want to keep an account secret, use this guide to hide user accounts from the Windows 10 sign-in screen.

When you share your computer with family members or friends, Windows 10 by default will list every user account on the sign-in screen. However, there could be times when you may have some additional accounts that you don't want listed. For example, accounts for users who only login remotely to their PCs, or an account that you want to keep secret from regular users.

While the operating system doesn't offer an option to pick which user accounts appear on the sign-in screen, you can easily hide any user from being listed by modifying the registry.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to hide user accounts from the sign-in screen on your computer.

Important: Before you make any changes, make sure to understand that you'll be modifying the Windows registry, which could be a dangerous game that can cause irreversible damage to your computer when changes are not done properly. It's recommended that you do a full backup of your system before proceeding. You've been warned!

How to hide user accounts from the sign-in screen

Windows 10 by default displays the full name on a user on the sign-in screen, but to make this work you'll need the name of the account. You can find this information by opening Local Users and Groups. However, this option is only available for Pro users, as such we'll be using the old User Accounts manager that is available on Windows 10 Pro as well as on Windows 10 Home.

  1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type netplwiz, and click OK to open User Accounts.
  2. Select the account you want to hide and click Properties.

  3. Make note of the User name for the account.

Use the following steps to hide an account from sign-in screen on Windows 10:

  1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type regedit, and click OK to open the Windows Registry.
  2. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

  3. Right-click the Winlogon, select New, and click Key.
  4. Name the new key SpecialAccounts.

  5. Right-click the SpecialAccounts key, select new, and click Key.
  6. Name the new key UserList.

  7. Inside of UserList, right-click, select New, and click DWORD (32-bit) Value.

  8. Name the new DWORD key with the name of the account you're trying to hide.
  9. Double-click the new DWORD key and make sure its data value is set to 0.

Sign-out and you'll now notice that the account will no longer be available on the sign-in screen. In fact by doing this, you're also hiding the account from virtually everywhere in the operating system, including the from the switch user menu in the Start menu, from Control Panel, and even from the Settings app.

In order to make a hidden account visible again, you'll have to go back to the registry UserList key using the steps mentioned above, and making sure to change the user name data key value from 0 to 1.

If you're only hiding a remote user account, you don't need to do anything else, as the user can login remotely without any issues.

Keep in mind that while this guide will help you to remove user accounts from the sign-in screen, it's not recommended to remove all the accounts, including your own, as you may find tough to get back in.

These steps work on Windows 10, and it should also work on Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

How to fix a stuck Windows logo during the Windows 10 Mobile build 14342 install

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If during the installation of Windows 10 Mobile build 14342 your phone gets stuck at the Windows logo screen, then use these workarounds to fix the issue.

After Microsoft accidentally rolled out a pre-release version of Windows 10 for PC, the company is now once again aligning the version of the operating system for PC and Mobile with the release of Windows 10 Mobile build 14342 to the Fast ring.

The new update brings swipe navigation gestures for Microsoft Edge, Apps for Websites to allow certain sites to open with an app and a lot of new fixes. However, a small number of users has also been reporting that an issue where the phone may get stuck at the Windows logo screen during reboot after the installation of build 14342.

Microsoft is aware of the problem, and it's proactively investigating to find a solution for this issue. In the meantime, the company is offering two temporary solutions to get around the problem.

How to fix the install of build 14342 on Mobile

According to Microsoft, you can fix the Windows logo stuck at reboot in two different ways.

This first workaround involves being patient. The company said that if you come across the issue, then wait between 30 and 40 minutes when you see the Windows logo stuck on the screen to allow the handset to complete the data migration and installation of the operating system.

If waiting didn't fix the problem, the second workaround is to force-reboot your phone. You'll do this by holding the Power + Volume Down keys for at least 11 seconds.

Once your force the reboot, your phone will vibrate, boot again, and it should continue with the installation.

In case, your phone again stops at the Windows logo screen, don't do anything else, as it'll eventually complete the installation. However, make sure your phone is connected and charging during the process.

It's important to note that if you don't wait and try a hard reset, your Windows phone will fail, in which case you'll need to use the Windows Devices Recovery Tool to recover your handset.

Users running into this issue have been reporting that the Windows Recovery Tool successfully detected the bricked phone and the software was able to reinstall the original version of the mobile operating system.

Have you come across this issue on your Windows phone? If yes, let us know in the comments below your experience and on which phone you came across the problem.

More Windows 10 Mobile resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10 Mobile, you can visit the following resources:

How to set an Ethernet connection as metered on Windows 10

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If you access the Internet using an Ethernet connection, and you have a limited data plan, use this guide to set your connection as metered on Windows 10.

Windows 10 is an operating system designed to take full advantage of an internet connection without any restrictions on how much bandwidth it uses to perform tasks, such as download drivers and updates, sync settings, connect with cloud services, let you get access to the World Wide Web, and everything else.

While this isn't a problem for many users, not everyone has an unlimited data plan to access the internet. Many users connect to the World Wide Web through metered internet connection plans, which most of the time have a limit on the amount of data they can send and receive.

If you have a metered internet connection, setting your network connection as metered within Windows 10 will help to reduce the amount of data you're allowed to use in a given month.

The problem is that the operating system only offers this option for Wi-Fi or cellular data connections, and it appears that Microsoft assumes that anyone connected to a network using an Ethernet connection has unlimited access to the internet. However, if you know your way around the registry, you can still set an Ethernet connection as metered to reduce the internet data usage.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to set your wired network connection as metered by modifying the registry.

How to set an Ethernet metered connection on Windows 10

Important: Before you make any changes, make sure to understand that you'll be modifying the Windows registry, which could be a dangerous game that can cause irreversible damage to your computer when changes are not done properly. It's recommended that you do a full backup of your system before proceeding. You've been warned!

  1. Use the Windows key + R to open the Run command, type regedit, and click OK to open the Windows registry.
  2. Browse the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\NetworkList\DefaultMediaCost

  3. Right-click the DefaultMediaCost key and select Permissions.

  4. On the Security tab, click the Advanced button.

  5. Next to TrustedInstaller, click the Change link.

  6. Type Administrators, and click the Check Names button to make sure you're typing the correct object.

  7. Click OK.
  8. On the Advanced Security Settings for DefaultMediaCost, check the "Replace owner on subcontainers and objects".

  9. Click Apply.
  10. Click OK.
  11. On Permissions for DefaultMediaCost, select the Administrators group, and then make sure to check the allow Full Control box.

  12. Click Apply.
  13. Click OK.
  14. On the DefaultMediaCost key, you'll find different entries, including for 3G, 4G, Default, Ethernet, and WiFi with their default data values: 1 or 2. The data value 1 means that the connection type is non-metered, and the data value of 2 means that the connection type is metered. Double-click the Ethernet DWORD (32-bit) Value key, and change the value to 2.

  15. Click OK.
  16. Close the registry and restart your computer to complete the process.

Once you set a metered connection, the operating system will stop using the internet in many ways. For example:

  • Windows updates will no longer download automatically. However, priority updates will continue to download when available.
  • Apps will no longer update automatically.
  • Live Tiles on the Start menu may stop downloading updates.
  • Offline content may not sync with other devices.

In the case you want to revert to the original settings, using the same instructions mentioned above, make sure to change the Ethernet key data value from 2 to 1.

If you want to verify your Ethernet connection is set to metered, you can use apps, such as the desktop version of Outlook, which will detect and alert you that you are using a metered connection, as you probably won't see any "Metered network" statics on the App history tab in Task Manager.

Obviously, you should also notice a reduced amount of data usage at the end of the month on your internet connection plan.

While this is a handy workaround to help you to control the data usage of the operating system, remember you will still need to control how much data you personally use to browse the web, watch videos, and everything else to not go over your data cap.

Do you have an unlimited or metered internet connection? Tell us in the comments below.

More Windows 10 resources

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How to set up Assigned access on Windows 10 to restrict users to a single app

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Are you building a kiosk computer or you only want to restrict users to interact with a single app? Then use this guide to set up Assigned access on Windows 10.

When you need to share your computer with family members or friends, you typically create a new Standard User account to grant them access to use apps and browse the web. However, there will be times, when you may need a more restricted environment to allow users to access only one app.

For example, if you're setting up a kiosk computer for customers at your business to display a demo, or when hosting a party, you may want everyone to play DJ using the Groove Music app, but you don't want anybody snooping into your personal files.

Assigned access is a feature on Windows 10 that allows you to create a lockdown environment that lets users interact with only one app when they sign into a specified account. With Assigned access, users won't be able to get to the desktop, Start menu, or any other app, including the Settings app.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to set up Assigned access on your computer using your administrator account and a standard account, which will be used to let users interact with a particular app.

How to configure Assigned access on Windows 10

Before using this feature, you should consider that you can only assign apps that come bundled with Windows 10 and the ones from the Store. Classic desktop apps support is only available for Windows 10 Enterprise and Education.

Also, Assigned access can only be set up on Windows 10 Pro, Windows 10 Mobile, Education, and Enterprise.

  1. Using your administrator account, create a new Standard User account. You can find the instructions on how to do this in our previous guide.
  2. Use the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
  3. Click Accounts.
  4. Click Family & other people.
  5. Under Other users, click the Set up assigned access link.

  6. Click the Choose an account button, and select the standard account you want to assign to run a single app.

  7. Click the Choose an app button, and select the supported app to run on Assigned access.

  8. Restart your computer and then sign-in with account you just configured.

Once you're done using the account, because you don't have access to the Start menu, you'll need to use the Ctrl + Alt + Del keyboard shortcut to sign out of the account. Then to completely terminate the account session, simply restart your computer by clicking the Restart button from the Power menu on the Lock screen.

How to disable Assigned access

When you no longer need Assigned access on your PC, follow these steps:

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Accounts.
  3. Click Family & other people.
  4. Under Other users, click the Set up assigned access link.
  5. Click the account currently setup, and click Don't use assigned access.

Assigned access is a feature that Microsoft first introduced with Windows 8.1, but it has been improved on Windows 10. Also, while the feature is primarily designed for kiosk scenarios, anyone can use the feature to restrict users to interact with a single app.

Have you tried Assigned access on Windows 10? Let's us know your experience in the comments below.

How to get DOOM (2016) to run on a Core i7 Surface Book with Nvidia GPU

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DOOM (2016) is turning out to be one of the biggest hits of the year earning a respectable 87 rating on Metacritic. It's one of my favorite games to play on the Xbox One right now, but sometimes I may want to take the FPS from hell with me.

Tonight, for some Friday fun I'll show you how to hit 40 FPS using a top-end Surface Book with a Core i7 and Nvidia dGPU.

The Problem

If you try to run DOOM on a Surface Book, you currently run into a scaling issue as you can see in the image above. Changing the in-game settings does nothing to alleviate that either, so you can never play in full screen.

Surely, however, this is just an early bug as you can lower a lot of the graphics in the game for older PCs. Of course, you lose detail, but a top end dual Core i7 processor and teeny Nvidia GPU should be able to do more.

The Solution

A quick fix was posted on Reddit earlier today by KrenTheKnome, and I was able to verify on my Surface Book that it does work. You'll knock the graphics down to just 1280x720, but you will get full-screen playability and 40 frames per second, which is more than playable. Here is how to do it.

The process involves two steps:

  • Disable display scaling
  • Force download latest Nvidia driver for laptops (link below)

The first step is simple, but it looks like you need to download a new Nvidia driver. Obviously, Microsoft only sanctions approved Nvidia drivers through Windows Update, so use at your own risk. The latest version that evidently works is 365.19 WHQL.

Download Nvidia 365.19 WHQL here

After you download the file run the setup to update your Nvidia GPU on the Surface Book.

Next up, you will want to disable display scaling for DOOM.

  1. Find Doome.exe - Using File Explore on your PC, head to the Doom install directory and find doom.exe.
  2. Right-click on Doom.exe and choose Properties
  3. Choose the Compatibility tab and enable (check) Disable display scaling on high DPI settings
  4. Hit OK to save

When you launch DOOM the default settings will now shift to 2560 x 1600 at a 16:10 aspect ratio. That is still too high for what we need, so you will need to change the video resolution under the game settings to this:

  • Aspect: 16:9
  • Resolution: 1280x720

You will also want the Advanced settings set for Low graphics.

The weird thing is playing the game at 16:9 aspect ratio as you will have black bars, however at these settings DOOM plays quite well with an Xbox One controller connected. The images posted below are samples taken during gameplay, and you can see the frame-rate in the upper corner. I won't lie compared to the Xbox One or a high-end gaming PC the graphics are not as sexy, but hey...you gotta play.

Besides, it gives a retro game that kind of retro look!

What about Surfaces with no dedicated Nvidia GPU? Your guess is as good as mine, but you will likely have it even worse. But hey, at least now I can play DOOM on the plane!

Do you have another way that is easier or better? Let me know in comments!

How to limit the sync speed rates on the desktop version of OneDrive

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The desktop version of OneDrive now lets you limit the upload and download speeds to sync data, and here we tell you how.

Microsoft recently launched the OneDrive Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app for Windows 10 PCs, which allows users to access their files with a touch-friendly UI and with an alternative solution to the placeholders dilemma. However, despite making available a new app, it seems that the company continues to improve its desktop sync client version of One Drive that will benefit users on metered and slow network connections.

Even though Microsoft has designed the desktop version of OneDrive to use an internet connection to sync files and folders to your account, in the past, the client had unrestricted access to the available download and upload network speeds.

The problem is that when you connect to the internet with a slow connection that you also happen to share with other computers, it can quickly reduce your internet performance. However, this is now changing with a new feature that Microsoft is adding to OneDrive to allow users to specify the upload and download speed rates.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the easy steps to limit OneDrive the network data rates it can use to sync data between your account and your PC.

How to limit the upload and download speeds of OneDrive

  1. Right-click the OneDrive (cloud) icon located in the notification area, and click Settings.
  2. Click the new Network tab.
  3. Under Upload rate and Download rate, change the option from Don't limit (default) to Limit to, and specify the new rate in kilobytes per second.

  4. Click OK to complete the task.

If you're not sure which speed rates you should use, you can visit Bing.com. Then search for Speed Test, and use Microsoft's search engine to determine your upload and download speeds.

While this is a subtle improvement, it's also a welcome addition to OneDrive that many users will appreciate to optimize better and reduce their network data usage.

It's worth pointing out that the new networking feature is not only available on Windows 10, but Microsoft is also letting Windows 7 users to take advantage of the new OneDrive feature.

What you do think about the new feature to limit OneDrive bandwidth speeds? Tell us in the comments below.

More Windows 10 resources

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How to monitor network usage on Windows 10

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When you have a limited data plan, it's a good idea to monitor your network usage to prevent going over your data cap, and in this Windows 10 guide, we'll show you how.

Internet service providers are constantly trying to improve their network speeds to lure customers into faster data plans. But sometimes these faster plans come with restrictions — the dreaded metered internet connections, enforcing a limit on the amount of data you can send and receive.

If you find yourself in such an unfortunate situation, it will be critical for you to monitor your network data usage regularly. Thankfully, Windows 10 includes tools to monitor network usage to prevent you going over your data cap.

In Windows 10 there are two different ways to monitor the data that apps can send and receive in a given month, and in this Windows 10 guide, we'll show you how you can monitor your network usage using the Settings app and Task Manager, and their pros and cons.

How to check network usage with Task Manager

  1. Right-click the taskbar, and click Task Manager.
  2. If you see the smaller version of the Task Manager, click the More details button on the bottom left corner.

  3. Click the App history tab.

In this section, you'll see the date since Windows 10 began monitoring the data usage on your apps. You can also click the Delete usage history link to reset the data usage counter, but remember that it'll also reset automatically every 30 days.

The data that is more usable to you is the Network column which tracks the data usage for your apps. You'll also see the "Metered network" column, but this information is irrelevant unless you configure your Wi-Fi connection as metered.

Oddly enough, the problem with the App history tab is that it only tracks Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, you can't view network usage for desktop applications, such as Chrome, the desktop version of Office apps, and others.

How to check network usage with Settings

  1. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
  2. Click Network & internet.
  3. Click Data usage. Under Overview, you'll see the total data usage from the last 30 days for Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections.

  4. Click the Usage details link to view network data usage for all your applications installed on your computer.

The biggest advantage of the Settings app is that you can not only view Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, but you can also see data usage for traditional desktop applications.

However, the Usage details page shows only the total network data usage, and unlike the Task Manager, you can't view metered network usage, tile updates, or CPU time information. In addition, this view won't give you the option to reset the usage history or since the date when the data usage is being tracked.

As you can see, there are pros and cons with either tool, but you should consider using both to have a complete overview of which apps are using the most data and help you to manage your metered internet connection plan better. Of course, if these tools aren't enough, you can always find different software solutions online, or in some cases, you can configure your router to monitor your data usage -- just to name a few.

How do you monitor network data usage in your network? Tell us in the comments below.

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How to reset your password after you're locked out of your Windows 10 account

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Did you get locked out of your Microsoft Account on Windows 10? Use this guide to reset your password.

It's just a matter of time until you get in front of your PC, try to sign in but, after several attempts, realize you forgot your password, and are now locked out of the system.

If you a prudent user, though, you probably use a Microsoft Account to sign in to Windows 10, because that is the default account type the operating system prompts you to create upon setting up your computer. And it's what you use to access all Microsoft services, including OneDrive, Outlook.com, and the Windows Store. And if you can't sign in to your PC, a Microsoft Account also makes it super easy to reset your account password to regain access to Windows 10.

If you forgot your password and you're locked out of your account, in this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the easy steps to reset the password associated with your Microsoft Account.

How to reset your Windows 10 account password

  1. Once you're entered your incorrect password, you'll noticed a warning message, which also provides a specific link. Using another computer or your smartphone, use that link that will direct you to the Microsoft Account password reset page.
  2. Select the I forgot my password option.
  3. Click Next.

  4. Enter your Microsoft Account information, which can be either the primary email address or phone number, followed by the captcha challenge to prove that you're a not a robot.
  5. Click Next.

  6. Pick how you want to receive the security code: email or text message. In either case, you'll need to provide part of the alternative email address or phone number associated with your account.
  7. Click Send code.

  8. Enter the security code you have received.
  9. Click Next.

  10. Enter your new password (must be 8-characters in length on more).
  11. Click Next.

  12. You'll get a message that letting you know that your account has been recovered. Click Next to complete the task.

  13. Go back to your computer and try to sign in again, but this time use the new password.

Remember that for you to be able to sign in to your account your computer must be connected to the internet. If everything worked as expected, you'll once again be back in your account.

As you can see, it's very simple to reset your password on Windows 10, which is yet another good reason to use a Microsoft Account over a local one. However, because anyone can come across this issue, it's important that you periodically check your account settings making sure you have the most up-to-date security settings, including a valid alternative email address and phone number that you can use for recovery.

Finally, it's important to note that resetting your Microsoft Account password will not only change the password on Windows 10, but also on all Microsoft services associated with the account.

More Windows 10 resources

For more help articles, coverage, and answers on Windows 10, you can visit the following resources:

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