How do I use pistons in Minecraft?

If you're looking to create some redstone contraptions in Minecraft, you'll likely want to employ pistons in your design. Create hidden doors, hidden stairways, and even traps with these versatile machines. Here's how to craft and use pistons to help you get started with your contraption.

• How to craft pistons
• How to place pistons
• How to power pistons
• Blocks that cannot be used with pistons
• How to use slime blocks with pistons

How to craft pistons

There are two types of piston you can create: regular piston or sticky piston. Regular pistons will simply push a block away when engaged, whereas a sticky piston will push away and pull back a block when engaged.

Regular piston

This recipe is made up of any three wood planks, four cobblestone, one redstone dust, and one iron ingot.

A piston can push up to twelve blocks in a row when engaged — powered with redstone — but will not pull any blocks back when disengaged.

Sticky piston

This recipe is made up of a regular piston and a slime ball. Slime balls can generally only be found underground or in swamps during the night. Pro-tip: swamps will be full of slime during full moons.

A sticky piston can push up to twelve blocks in a row when engaged, but will only pull one back with it when disengaged unless you're using a slime block.

How to place pistons

Place the piston in your hotbar, then right-click with the piston in your hand to place it on the ground or against another block. When placing a piston, the head will always face you no matter where you aim your crosshair. This can cause some tricky building, but at least you have a constant idea, unlike stairs, of how the piston will sit.

How to power pistons

The piston must be connected to either powered redstone or to a lever or other redstone switch. In the Windows 10 Edition of Minecraft, you can attach levers or other redstone switches directly to a piston.

If you want one redstone switch to control multiple pistons, you will have to link the pistons with redstone dust and power it. Contraptions using pistons and redstone can be unbelievably intricate, but a good starter project is to create a hidden staircase or hidden door.

Blocks that cannot be used with pistons

Most blocks in the Minecraft world can be pushed and pulled by pistons. There are, however, a few exceptions.

Blocks that will break if pushed or pulled

These blocks, when broken, will turn into a drop that you can pick up and use again, just as if you'd hit it with the applicable tool.

Bed

Cactus

Cake

Door

Item frame

Jack o'lantern

Flower

Flower pot

Melon

Pressure plate

Pumpkin

Mushroom

Redstone comparator

Redstone dust

Redstone repeater

Sugar cane

Torch

Weighted pressure plate

Blocks unaffected by pistons

Some blocks will simply not move or break when used with a piston.

Bedrock

Enchantment table

End portal frame

Monster spawner

Obsidian

How to use slime blocks with pistons

If you manage to collect nine slimeballs, you can craft a slime block.

Attaching a slime block to a sticky piston allows you to move blocks directly adjacent to the slime block.

Keep in mind that a piston can only move 12 blocks in a row, so if you place it on the ground, it will not move. You must create a channel beneath the slime block to allow its movement.

Once you've made the channel beneath the slime block, you can attach the blocks you'd like to move.

When you engage the piston, it will push the slime block as well as any attached blocks. All blocks touching the slime block will return to their regular position when the piston is disengaged.

Your piston contraptions

What is the biggest and most complicated contraption you've created using pistons? Let us know in the comments section below!

If you need to quickly take ownership of files and folders on Windows 10, then on this guide we show you how to do it with a single click.

While you'll have full control over any files or folders you create on Windows 10, certain files — like system files — are locked out. But other files, like those in other accounts or ones you might want to customize to change how Windows 10 works, are also locked out.

You can manually take ownership of these files, but if it's a thing you need to do on a regular basis so you can edit, rename, and delete as you see fit, there's an easier way that takes a bit of one-time work. With this Windows 10 guide we'll show you how to create a right-click context menu option to make it quick and easy to take ownership of a file.

How to add a 'Take Ownership' option to the right-click context menu

Important: Before you go through this guide, you should know that modifying the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your device before proceeding. Alternatively, you can create a system restore point, which will also help you to revert the changes you make using this guide.

To add a "Take Ownership" option to the right-click menu, do the following:

1. Open Notepad.

2. Copy and paste the following registry code into the text file:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]
   @="Take Ownership""NoWorkingDirectory"=""
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas\command]
   @="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\"&& icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F""IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\"&& icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F"
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]
   @="Take Ownership""NoWorkingDirectory"=""
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas\command]
   @="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F /t""IsolatedCommand"="cmd.exe /c takeown /f \"%1\" /r /d y && icacls \"%1\" /grant administrators:F /t"

3. Click File.
4. Click Save As.
5. Under "Save as type," select All Files, and name your file anything you want with the .reg extension.
6. Click Save.
7. Double-click your new .reg file to merge into the registry.
8. Click Yes.
9. Click OK.

Once you completed the steps, you can simply right-click any file or folder, and you should now see a new "Take Ownership" item on the menu. Then simply, right-click the file or folder, right-click it and select Take Ownership.

How to remove the 'Take Ownership' option from context menu

If you no longer want to have the option available in the right-click menu, then do the following:

1. Open Notepad.

2. Copy and paste the following registry code into the text file:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell\runas]
   
   [-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\runas]
   

3. Click File.
4. Click Save As.
5. Under "Save as type," select All Files, and name your file anything you want with the .reg extension.
6. Click Save.
7. Double-click your new .reg file to merge into the registry.
8. Click Yes.
9. Click OK.

After you completed the steps, the option will be removed from the context menu.

More Windows 10 resources

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

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

What are villages and how do I trade with villagers in Minecraft?

Although trading hasn't yet been implemented in the Windows 10 Edition of Minecraft, it is coming at some point and you should be prepared. Here are the top things you need to know when you happen upon a village.

• Where do I find villages?
• What do villages contain?
• Why is this village abandoned?
• How do I breed villagers?
• Why do I need emeralds?
• What do villagers have for trade?
• What is an iron golem?
• How do I improve my popularity?

Where do I find villages?

Villages can be found in plains, desert, taiga, forest, or savanna biomes.

The best practice for finding a village in an existing world is to explore, explore, and explore some more. They generate randomly, so one could be sitting just over the next hill. If you'd like to cover more ground, consider saddling a horse and using it for transportation. If you want to find a village immediately, consider starting a new game using a seed with a village next to the spawn.

What do villages contain?

Villages will usually contain a few houses, a few villagers, a well, a few torch-stands, and some crops.

If you're lucky, the village you find will also contain a blacksmith's forge and a library. Within the blacksmith's building is a chest that contains some random loot. You can also take the furnaces and, if you have a bucket, you can take the lava.

The library contains a few bookcases that you can break with an axe to collect the books; these are useful when it comes to enchanting. You'll also find a crafting table here.

You can take and replant the crops that the villagers have growing. You will usually find beetroots, carrots, potatoes, and wheat growing in villages.

Why is this village abandoned?

Sometimes you will find a village that is completely abandoned — this is usually due to zombies and other enemy mobs raiding at night and killing all the villagers. In certain cases, a zombie siege can happen, where a lot of zombies spawn within the village no matter how much light is being produced by torches.

The only two ways to repopulate a village is to transport with a minecart a villager from a different village or heal a zombie villager with a potion of weakness and a golden apple. If you manage to get at least two villagers in a village, you can breed them to re-populate.

How do I breed villagers?

In order for villagers to breed, you need to have at least two villagers and at least 0.35 times the number of houses as compared to villagers. For example, if you have seven villagers in your village, you need to have at least three houses for a new villager to spawn.

A structure will count as a house even if it's nothing more than a door with wood planks beneath it. You will, of course, want to create something much more substantial in order to protect your villagers.

Once two villagers mate, they must be traded with before they will be willing to mate again.

Why do I need emeralds?

Emeralds are the currency used to trade with villagers. You can either trade your items for their emeralds or trade their items for your emeralds. Emeralds are extremely rare.

An emerald ore block, when mined with a stone or better pickaxe, will turn into one emerald. Emerald ore can only be found in extreme hill (mountain) biomes anywhere between layer 4 and layer 32 of the Overworld.

What do villagers have for trade?

You can trade with villagers by right-clicking them. A trade window will appear with a few available trades — not all items listed below will be available at all times.

You always want to make sure you're not getting ripped off in a trade. If a villager wants, say, 12 emeralds for a pair of leather boots, you're better off finding some cows and making your own. Here's what different types of villagers will have for trade:

Farmer

Buys:

• 15-19 carrots for 1 emerald
• 16-24 coal for 1 emerald
• 9-12 cooked fish for 1 emerald
• 8-9 gold ingots for 1 emerald
• 7-12 melon slices for 1 emerald
• 15-19 potatoes for 1 emerald
• 14-17 raw chickens for 1 emerald
• 15-20 string for 1 emerald
• 18-22 wheat for 1 emerald
• 16-22 white wool for 1 emerald

Sells:

• 5-7 apples for 1 emerald
• 8-12 arrows for 1 emerald
• 1 bow for 2-3 emeralds
• 2-4 bread for 1 emerald
• 1 cake for 1 emerald
• 1 colored wool for 1-2 emeralds
• 7-8 cooked chickens for 1 emerald
• 6 cooked fish for 6 fish and 1 emerald
• 8-10 cookies for 1 emerald
• 1 enchanted fishing rod for 7-8 emeralds
• 6-10 flint for 10 gravel and 1 emerald
• 5-8 melon slices for 1 emerald
• 2-3 pumpkin pies for 1 emerald
• 1 shears for 3-4 emeralds

Librarian

Buys:

• 8-10 books for 1 emerald
• 1 compass for 1 emerald
• 24-36 paper for 1 emerald

Sells:

• 1 bookshelf for 3-4 emeralds
• 1 clock for 10-12 emeralds
• 1 compass for 10-12 emeralds
• 1 enchanted book for 5-64 emeralds
• 1 empty map for 7-11 emeralds
• 3-5 glass for 1 emerald
• 1 name tag for 20-22 emeralds

Cleric

Buys:

• 36-40 rotten flesh for 1 emerald
• 8-10 gold ingots for 1 emerald

Sells:

• 1 bottle o' enchanting for 3-11 emeralds
• 1 ender pearl for 4-7 emeralds
• 1-3 glowstone for 1 emerald
• 1-2 lapis lazuli for 1 emerald
• 1-4 redstone dust for 1 emerald

Blacksmith

Buys:

• 16-24 coal for 1 emerald
• 3-4 diamonds for 1 emerald
• 7-9 iron ingots for 1 emerald

Sells:

• 1 chainmail boots for 5-7 emeralds
• 1 chainmail chestplate for 11-15 emeralds
• 1 chainmail helmet for 5-7 emeralds
• 1 chainmail leggings for 9-11 emeralds
• 1 enchanted diamond axe for 9-12 emeralds
• 1 enchanted diamond chestplate for 16-19 emeralds
• 1 enchanted diamond pickaxe for 12-15 emeralds
• 1 enchanted diamond sword for 12-15 emeralds
• 1 enchanted iron pickaxe for 9-11 emeralds
• 1 enchanted iron shovel for 5-7 emeralds
• 1 enchanted iron sword for 9-10 emeralds
• 1 iron axe for 6-8 emeralds
• 1 iron chestplate for 16-19 emeralds
• 1 iron helmet for 4-6 emeralds

Butcher

Buys:

• 16-24 coal for 1 emerald
• 9-12 leather for 1 emerald
• 14-18 raw chickens for 1 emerald
• 14-18 raw pork chops for 1 emerald

Sells:

• 6-8 cooked chickens for 1 emerald
• 5-7 cooked pork chops for 1 emerald
• 1 enchanted leather tunic for 7-12 emeralds
• 1 leather pants for 2-4 emeralds
• 1 saddle for 8-10 emeralds

What is an iron golem?

Iron golems appear in villages with at least 16 villagers. They are there to defend the villagers from zombies and other enemy mobs, and they will attack you if your popularity is low enough.

You can also create iron golems yourself with four blocks of iron and a pumpkin. Place the iron blocks first — it will turn into an iron golem as soon as the pumpkin is placed.

How do I improve my popularity?

Your popularity amongst villagers depends on your actions and is different for each village. For example, if you attack the villagers of one village but discover a new village later on, your popularity will be neutral at the new village.

Your popularity starts at 0 and can range from -30 to +10.

• Attacking a villager subtracts 1 popularity.
• Killing a villager subtracts 2 popularity.
• Attacking a child subtracts 3 popularity.
• Killing an iron golem subtracts 5 popularity.
• Trading with a villager adds 1 popularity.

If you have at least -15 popularity in a village, its iron golem, if it has one, will attack you on sight.

Your villages

How do you treat villages? Do you protect them by building walls and iron golems, or do you steal from them and leave them to their own devices? Let us know in the comments section below!

When you're having problems with Groove Music or your library is a mess, use this guide to reset it.

Groove Music is now your default music player app on Windows 10, which lets you play your favorite tunes stored on your computer, OneDrive, and from the vast music library from the Store. Heck, you can even use Cortana to control your music with voice commands on Groove.

Through the development of Windows 10 the app has been maturing, and Microsoft has been adding a lot of features. However, like with any app, sometimes you may come across some hiccups. It could be that your library has grown so big that it's now a mess, you have a lot of playlists you don't listen anymore, or the Groove Music app isn't working correctly on your device.

Thankfully, on Windows 10, you have a few ways in which you can re-organize your music library and fix any problems you may come across while using the app.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to reset your cloud collection or reset the Groove Music app locally on your device to fix any issues.

How to reset your Groove Music cloud collection

If you are only trying to reset your music collection stored in the cloud, and you have a Groove Music subscription, you can always add your music back.

To reset your music collection, do the following:

1. Open the Groove Music app.
2. Click the hamburger button in the top-left corner.
3. Click the Settings (gear) button on at the bottom of the app.

4. Scroll down the settings and under Reset, click the "Delete your playlists and any music you've added or downloaded from the Groove catalog" link.

5. Choose what you want to reset, including:

   • Remove all of your music I added from the Groove catalog.
   • Remove all of the songs I bought (You can download any of these songs from the Explore later.)
   • Remove all of my playlists (This won't delete songs you've added to your collection.)

6. Once you checked your options, click the Reset now button to complete the task.

These instructions work on Windows 10 as well as on Windows 10 Mobile.

How to reset the Groove Music app

In the case, the Groove Music app is always crashing, or it's just acting up, it could be a problem with the app itself.

If you're having issues with Groove Music, do the following to reset the app:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Select Groove Music.

4. Click the Advanced options link.

5. Click the Reset button.

6. Click Reset one more time to confirm.

Using the reset feature will delete all the app data on the device, including preferences and sign-in details.

Keep in mind that there is no turning back when you use any of these reset options. After resetting Groove Music, you may need to add the songs again and recreate your playlists, if applicable.

Did you ever come across any issue with Groove Music 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:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

If you're looking to bring your traditional app to the Universal Windows Platform, this guide walks you through the steps to use the DesktopAppConverter to convert your app.

On Windows 10, Microsoft is not only adding new features and making the operating system more secure, but it's also investing on making the Windows Store the single place for users to acquire apps.

The caveat with the Windows Store is that it doesn't include support for distribution of traditional desktop applications -- you're only able to download Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps. However, Microsoft is making some changes, and now thanks to Desktop Bridge, we're slowly starting to see desktop apps and tools available in the Store.

• What's Desktop Bridge?
• How does Desktop Bridge works?
• Things you need before converting an app
• How to prepare your computer to convert apps
• How to convert desktop apps into Windows Store apps
• How to install a converted app on Windows 10

What's Desktop Bridge?

It's all part of an initiative called Project Centennial, which now you know as Desktop Bridge. The new approach is essentially a "bridge" that let developers take traditional desktop applications and convert them into Universal Windows Platform (modern) apps.

The idea behind Desktop Bridge is that great apps take time and effort, and if they're already working, Microsoft doesn't want you to abandon that code. With Desktop Bridge, you can take your existing desktop application (Win32, WPF, and Windows Forms), make a little modification (if necessary), and bring that great code to the new platform, which can also take advantage of many new features.

The conversion is done using the DesktopAppConverter, which is a tool to automate the process (or at least most of it) to bring your desktop application built using .NET 4.6.1 or Win32 technologies to the new Universal Windows Platform (UWP). In addition, you can also publish the app in the Windows Store to reach millions of new customers, which is one of the reasons Microsoft wants you to convert your app.

How does Desktop Bridge works?

When converting an app, the tool runs the app installer inside of an isolated environment that uses a clean Windows 10 image. You can think of it as a lightweight virtual machine, which is used to capture file system I/O and registry keys generated by the desktop installer. Once the app is converted, you'll end up with an APPX package that you can quickly deploy to any computer running the 64-bit (x64) version of Windows 10 using a simple PowerShell cmdlet.

While Desktop Bridge is meant for developers, anyone (who is up to the challenge) can use the new tools and convert virtually any desktop application into a Windows Store app. This is because you don't need the source code — you only need the installer (the .exe file).

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to convert a traditional desktop application into a Universal Windows Platform app.

Things you need before converting an app

You'll need a computer running the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (build 14393 or later). Your computer must have a 64-bit processor, hardware-assisted virtualization, and Second Level Address Translation (SLAT).

It's important to note that you can only run the DesktopAppConverter on Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise. You can only convert applications with installers, and not portable apps. And you can only deploy converted apps to 64-bit machines.

Finally, you'll also need around 20GB of hard drive space, as the base image, developer tools, and the creation of the isolated environment will take several gigabytes. If you don't have enough storage, the process will fail, and it could take a lot of time to start over.

How to prepare your computer to convert apps

Once you have the required hardware and the latest version of Windows 10 running on your computer, you'll need to install and configure a few components.

Important: As usual, here is a friendly reminder to create a full backup of your system, which you can use in case something goes wrong and you need to roll back. This is a task also recommended for anyone who is not a developer but wants to try Desktop Bridge.

How to add Containers to Windows 10

While running the setup should install the Containers feature on Windows 10 automatically, there is a chance that this may not happen, as such you can enable this feature in advanced.

To add Containers, do the following:

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on Programs.
3. Click on Turn Windows Features on or off.

4. Check the Containers option.

5. Click OK.
6. Click Restart to complete the task.

How to install the Windows 10 SDK

You'll also need to have installed the Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) on your Windows 10 device, which you can easily do with the following steps:

1. Download the Windows 10 SDK installer from the Microsoft support website.
2. Double-click the installer.

3. Leave the default location and click Next.

4. Decide whether to participate in the Microsoft data collection program and click Next.
5. Click Accept to get through the legal stuff.

6. Make sure all the components are checked and click Install.

7. Click Close to complete the task.

Roughly 2.3GB of files will be downloaded at this point, so it might take a while depending on the speed of your internet connection.

How to install and setup the converter and base image

After checking the minimum system requirements and installing the necessary components, it's now time to install and configure the DesktopAppConverter and the base image.

Note: The commands used in this guide to run Desktop Bridge should work on Command Prompt as well as on PowerShell. However, the tool has been designed to work on PowerShell, so to avoid problems you'll be better off using PowerShell.

1. Download the DesktopAppConverter from the Windows Store.
2. On the Store, click the Install button to get the app.
3. Once the DesktopAppConverter installs, do not launch the app, just close the Windows Store and continue with the steps below.
4. Visit the Microsoft Download Center to grab the latest Desktop App Converter base image.

5. Click the red Download button.

6. Select the .wim file with build number that matches the version of Windows 10 you have installed on your PC. For example, BaseImage-14393.wim, if you're running Windows 10 build 14393.

7. Click Next on the support page to begin the download.

8. If you don't know your current Windows 10 version number, use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut, type the winver command on Run, and click OK.

9. Open the Start menu and do a search for PowerShell.
10. Right-click the app and select Run as administrator.

11. Type the following command and press Enter:

    Set-ExecutionPolicy bypass

12. Enter the letter A and press Enter to continue.

13. Now it's the time to set up Desktop Bridge with the base image, and to do that type the following command:

    DesktopAppConverter.exe -Setup -BaseImage C:\PATH-TO-IMAGE\BaseImage-1XXXX.wim -Verbose

    Important: You must change "XXXX" on the name of the base image to the number of the image you downloaded and remember to specify the path to the location of the image. For example: DesktopAppConverter.exe -Setup -BaseImage C:\Users\admin\Downloads\BaseImage-14393.wim -Verbose.

    The below image shows an example of the complete command.

14. Restart your computer if prompted. Then PowerShell will open automatically to complete the setup after the reboot by expanding the image to prep the isolated environment.

Once the setup completes, you'll end up in the root directory of the DesktopAppConverter. In my experience, it works better if you continue with next set of instructions while in the root directory of the converter. At least for the purpose of this guide, leave PowerShell open and continue with the instructions below.

How to convert desktop apps to Windows Store apps

Congratulations! You made it this far, and now it's the time to have fun. After setting up the converter, you can proceed to convert your traditional desktop app into a Universal Windows Platform app.

For this guide, I chose to convert the popular Notepad++ desktop app, which you can always download and use from the official site. Of course, you can always try to use your own application or another installer.

Quick Tip: It's important to download the app installer in its own folder, as the converter will copy all the files from that location to the isolated environment.

To convert a desktop app into a modern app, do the following:

1. If you don't have PowerShell already open, bring up the Start menu and do a search for PowerShell.
2. Right-click the app and select Run as administrator.

3. Type the following command and press Enter to convert the app:

   DesktopAppConverter.exe -Installer C:\APP-INSTALLER-PATH\APP-NAME.exe -InstallerArguments "/S" -Destination C:\APP-CONVERSION-OUTPUT\APP-NAME -PackageName "APP-NAME" -Publisher "CN=PUBLISHER-NAME" -Version 0.0.0.1 -MakeAppx -Verbose

   With this command we're invoking the DesktopAppConverter and passing several arguments. The -Installer switch is used to note the location of the installer. The InstallerAgument "/S" allows to run the installer in silent mode inside the isolated environment, which let the converter record the install process without user interaction.

   Then the -Destination switch notes the location the converter will output the final project files. And the rest of the parameters will define the identity of the app, such as package and publisher name, and version number.

   Remember that you must update the command line with the appropriate information for your application and paths. Here's an example: DesktopAppConverter.exe -Installer C:\Users\admin\Downloads\npp.7.Installer.exe -InstallerArguments "/S" -Destination C:\Users\admin\Downloads\NotepadPlus -PackageName "NotepadPlus" -Publisher "CN=NotepadPlus" -Version 0.0.0.1 -MakeAppx -Verbose

The DesktopAppConverter will then kick in and begin the conversion process, which can take a while depending on your system.

How to install a converted app on Windows 10

Once the process completes without any red flags, you'll end up with a project folder that contains a file with a .appx extension.

The final step will be to install the converted app on your computer and to do this you'll need to use PowerShell.

To install an APPX application on Windows 10, do the following:

1. Open Start menu and do a search for PowerShell.
2. Right-click the app and select Run as administrator.

3. Type the following command and press Enter to convert the app:

   Add-AppxPackage -Path PATH-TO-APPXFILE\AppxManifest.xml -Register

   Remember to replace "PATH-TO-APPFILE" for the path of your AppxManifest.xml file, whic is inside of the ProgramFiles folder, inside the project output folder. For example, Add-AppxPackage -Path C:\Users\Admin\Downloads\App\PrograFiles\AppxManifest.xml -Register.

At this point, PowerShell should install the converted modern app on your computer. You can then launch the app like with any other app from the Start menu -- it'll even show up in the Recently Added list.

Here's Notepad++ converted and running on Windows 10

Wrapping things up

It's worth pointing out that after converting and installing, the app will run on your computer like any other app. However, for developers at least, this is just the beginning. If you want to take advantage of the new platform fully, you still have to customize other aspects of the app, such as some visual elements like the app icon, sign the package, and incorporate other specific features available in the new app model like notifications, Live Tiles, Action Center, and more.

For more information, you can also visit this Microsoft support site.

What do you think about Desktop Bridge? 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:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

You're building or upgrading your PC, and you get to the business of storage. What should you go for?

Building a PC can be hard enough before you get as far as thinking about what storage you're going to have inside it. But when you do get there, it's one of the most important parts of the build and a crucial thing to get right.

For you.

You can go for a Solid State Drive (SSD) or a more traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD). There are merits to both, but what's going to be best for your build, and your budget? Let's break it down.

What's the difference between the two?

In its simplest form, an SSD is flash storage and has no moving parts whatsoever. As a result, they're smaller and take up less space in a PC case, in some cases even mounting directly to the motherboard. SSD storage is much faster than its HDD equivalent.

HDD storage is made up of magnetic tape and has mechanical parts inside. They're larger than SSDs and much slower to read and write.

Why use an SSD?

If you're building a PC for any purpose, you're going to want speed. If you only have HDD storage in your machine, then speed isn't something coming your way. Windows will take longer to boot up, applications will take longer to load, files will take longer to open and save.

The beauty of an SSD is that this waiting time is dramatically reduced, even on cheaper drives, when compared to HDD. Anything you load on it will perform actions much quicker.

One of the best uses for an SSD in a PC is as a boot drive. This means installing a small-ish capacity drive on which your Windows 10 operating system will live and boot up from every day. By doing this, your PC will boot up and be ready to go in a flash. You can also put your most frequently used software on there for a similar effect.

The lifespan of an SSD isn't as lengthy as that of a HDD, but you can certainly use an SSD as your only drive in a PC. Many laptops only have SSD storage, for example. You're not looking at a short-term life, but compared to HDD storage it is reduced. SSDs don't handle being written to as well over time, but a boot drive wouldn't suffer this.

SSD prices have come down a lot in recent times, too, with the price per gigabyte much lower than it once was. Large capacity drives are still expensive, as are the highest performing ones, but generally speaking, they're more affordable than ever.

Why use a HDD?

The best case for HDD is mass storage. This type of drive is cheaper than SSD and available in some quite massive sizes. Have a lot of games or media to keep on your PC? No problem, you can get one or more drives over 1TB in size for a fraction of the cost of their SSD equivalents.

PC cases usually have space for more than one drive, meaning you can stack up as much mass storage as you can stash and your budget will allow.

Price per gigabyte is still much less than SSDs, and large capacity drives won't take all your money. An efficient system would have an SSD to boot Windows from and one or more HDDs for mass storage.

The bottom line

Our ultimate recommendation is to opt for a mixed system with HDD mass storage and an SSD boot drive for your Windows 10 install. This way you'll get a balance of price, performance, and space, and you'll have a well-rounded machine for all occasions.

If you've any tips to share, be sure to jump into the comments below!

When you need a quicker access to Bash shell, you can use this guide to add a new option to launch the tool from the right-click context menu on Windows 10.

The Anniversary Update for Windows 10 brings a slew of new features and changes, which makes every user more productive, including developers. For example, in this new update, the operating system introduces a full-blown Bash shell, which is a Linux command-line tool designed specifically for developers -- and it's a big deal.

It's not a complicated task to install Bash on Ubuntu on Windows 10, and it can be easily launched from the Start menu. However, many times, developers will find themselves working inside File Explorer where they wish they could simply use the right-click menu to open Bash from the working directory. Just like it's possible when you press and hold the Shift key to open Command Prompt.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the process to include a new option in the right-click context menu to open Bash on a particular working directory using the Registry.

How to add an open Bash shell option on the right-click context menu

Important: Before proceeding with this guide, you should know that modifying the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your computer before proceeding.

1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type regedit, and click OK to open the registry.

2. Browse the following path:

   HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Background\shell

3. Right-click the Shell (folder) key.

4. Select New and click on Key.

5. Name the key bash and press Enter.
6. Select the bash key, and on the right side, double-click the (Default) string and enter the text you want to appear in the option for the context menu. For example, "Open Bash on this location,""Open Linux Bash," or anything you want.

7. Click OK to continue.

8. Right-click the bash (folder) key.
9. Select New and click on Key.
10. Name the key command and press Enter.

11. Select the command key, and on the right side, double-click the (Default) string and enter the path to open Bash:

    C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe

12. Click OK to complete the task.

Once you've completed the instructions, you can open any folder, right-click on an empty space, and you'll find the new option to launch Bash.

Additionally, you can add an icon that will help your eyes to spot the option even quicker, and to do that, you can use these steps:

1. While in the Registry, right-click the bash (folder) key.

2. Select New and click on String Value.

3. Name the key Icon and press Enter.

4. Double-click the string and enter the path for the Bash shell tool:

   %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\lxss\bash.ico

5. Click OK to complete the task.

Alternative option

The above instructions are aimed for tech-savvy users, but if you're not comfortable tweaking the Registry, just as in school you were taught the long process and then the short version, there is an alternative way to open Bash without touching the Registry.

The alternative process involves to open File Explorer on the folder you want, and then type bash on the address bar and press Enter. For example, if you're on C:\Windows, and use bash on the address bar, bash will open on /mnt/c/Windows.

More Windows 10 resources

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

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

Did you change ownership of a system file? Use this guide to restore the original TrustedInstaller built-in user account as the rightful owner of the file on Windows 10.

If you're like most tech-savvy users, you don't settle for default configurations. You're always looking for ways to customize your system to improve productivity or to make your PC more unique.

Sometimes, to customize the operating system, in this case Windows 10, you need to modify some system files. When you need to do this, it often requires taking full control of certain files, which involves removing the special built-in "TrustedInstaller" user account as the owner of the file and granting your account full access.

However, later on, you may want to restore the original permission settings to the system file, but there is not an option to do that on Windows 10. In addition, if this isn't something you do every day, you'll probably forget what the original settings were.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to restore ownership of system files to the TrustedInstaller built-in user account.

How to restore TrustedInstaller ownership to system files

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Browse to the system file you previously changed ownership.
3. Right-click the file, and select Properties.
4. Click on the Security tab.

5. Click the Advanced button.

6. On the "Advanced Security Settings" page, click the Change link on Owner.

7. On the "Select User or Group" page, type the following to add the TrustedInstaller account and click Check Names:

   NT Service\TrustedInstaller

8. Click OK.

9. Click Apply.
10. Click OK again to complete the task.

These steps now restored the ownership of the file to the built-in TrustedInstaller.

Keep in mind that this works for system files as well as for system folders. Also, don't forget to check the "Replace owner on the subcontainers and objects" and "Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object" options, if you previously changed these settings on system folders.

Finally, if you granted yourself full control to the system file, you may also want to remove these settings as well, and to do that you can use the following steps:

1. Right-click the system file, and select Properties.
2. Click on the Security tab.
3. Click the Advanced button.
4. On the "Advanced Security Settings" page select your account.

5. Click Remove.

6. Click Apply.
7. Click OK to complete the task.

More Windows 10 resources

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

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

How do I make a monster spawner trap in Minecraft?

If you happen to find a dungeon and don't destroy the monster spawner, you can create an XP trap. Why do you need XP? You can use your levels with your enchanting table — the higher your level, the better the enchantment. Ready to start farming monsters? Here's how to create an XP trap in Minecraft!

• How to prepare
• How to build a zombie or skeleton XP trap

How to prepare

Assuming you've located a dungeon that spawns zombies or skeletons, it's time to prepare for the building process.

• Place torches around the monster spawner and in the dungeon to keep mobs from spawning.

• Empty out the chests, mine them until they break, and keep them in your inventory until later.

• Outside the dungeon, create a safe-room with a door where you can place a crafting table, furnace, and the chests you collected from the dungeon.

• Craft 23 signs.

• Block off any open holes in the dungeon except for your access point. You can block this off later.

How to build a zombie or skeleton XP trap

One of the most effective XP traps you can create is one that uses a water elevator to haul monsters up, then drop them down to injure them. You can then finish them off with nothing more than your fist and collect the XP. This trap does not work for spiders, as they can stick to walls and usually won't let themselves fall to their death.

Here is a bisected, above-ground version of what you will carve underground. Notice the signs, the horizontal shaft at the top, the vertical drop at the end, and the opening at the bottom where you can hit the monsters' feet.

1. Mine the mossy cobblestone blocks that make up the floor of the dungeon so that there is a gap beneath the monster spawner.

2. Mine an opening that is two blocks high and one block wide in the middle of one wall of the dungeon.

3. Mine two blocks deeper into the wall.

4. Right-click with a sign in your hand to place the sign in the bottom corner opening you created.

5. Right-click with another sign one block above and one block to the right of the first sign.

6. Right-click with a bucket full of water in the open spot beside the top sign.

7. Mine the blocks above you. Make sure you alternate blocks so that nothing falls on your head and hurts you.

8. Right-click to place another sign one block above and to the left of the second sign you placed.

9. Right-click with a bucket full of water to place water in the open spot beside the sign.

   Repeat this process of mining the blocks above you, placing a sign in an alternating manner, and placing water in the open areas. The signs keep the water from going anywhere, but won't stop monsters from being lifted up through the water.

   To climb the shaft yourself to continue construction, just hold spacebar on your keyboard. Your character will not drown due to the open air pockets. Ideally, you want to place 23 signs in total in your vertical shaft. Any higher, and the monsters falling at the other end will die before you can hit them and collect XP.

   The final sign you place should be on the far side of the wall from the dungeon.

10. Right-click with a bucket full of water both above the final sign and in the open area next to it.

11. Mine a horizontal shaft two blocks high and one block wide toward the dungeon that is below you — the result will be a shaft that goes over the dungeon. Mine this shaft so that it is eight blocks long.

12. At the eighth block, mine one block down.

13. Right-click the hole with a bucket full of water.

14. Mine another horizontal shaft that is two blocks high, one block wide, and eight blocks long.

15. At the end of the horizontal shaft, mine a vertical shaft about 21 blocks down. You don't want to dig straight down, so dig a 2x1 shaft, then fill in one side. There should be no water in this vertical shaft. If there is, the horizontal shaft at the top isn't long enough.

16. At the bottom of the vertical shaft, create a one-block opening. You will use this to hit the enemy mobs once they've fallen.

    Return to the dungeon with two buckets of water. If you don't have enough iron, you can make trips back and forth from a water source.

17. Right-click with a bucket of water in each corner furthest from the elevator opening. This creates a flow of water toward the elevator that will funnel zombies or skeletons that spawn.

18. Break the torches on the monster spawner and watch out for any monsters that spawn! Wall up the dungeon, head over to the drop zone, and get ready to collect XP. Using your fist to hit monsters will work fine as they will be already heavily damaged from the fall.

Your XP farm

Have you had a chance to set something like this up on your own? What was the result? Tell us in the comments section below!

If you're having problems signing into games that use Xbox Live after installing Windows 10 build 14942, then use this workaround to fix the issue.

Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 10 build 14942 for PCs enrolled in the Fast ring of the Windows Insider program. The new release part of the Redstone 2 update brings some new features, changes, and improvements.

One of these new improvements include changes to how the operating system handles service hosts. While in the past grouping services into service hosts was used to save memory, now with computers featuring more than enough RAM, the memory-saving advantage has dramatically decreased.

On Windows 10 build 14942 and later, most service hosts are no longer grouped. Instead, they are split into separate processes on devices featuring 3.5GB+ of RAM. Unfortunately, as a result of the change, users may encounter issues trying to sign into games that use Xbox Live.

However, Microsoft is aware of the issue and is offering a workaround until there is a permanent fix.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to successfully sign-in to games that use Xbox Live if you're running Windows 10 Redstone 2 (build 14942).

How to fix Xbox sign-in failure on Windows 10 build 14942

1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu and select Command Prompt (admin).

2. Type the following command and press Enter:

   REG ADD HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\XblAuthManager /v SvcHostSplitDisable /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

3. Reboot your computer to complete the task.

When you restart your system, the XblAuthManager will now share a service host process with Windows Update and Background Intelligent Transfer Service, which will allow you to sign back into Xbox Live.

You can learn more about the service hosts changes and everything included on Windows 10 build 14942 in our dive deep article.

Did the Microsoft workaround resolve the Xbox sign in problem on your computer? 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:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

If Microsoft Edge keeps crashing every time you open it after installing Windows 10 build 14942, try this workaround.

Windows 10 build 14942 for PC has been released to Insider through the Fast ring. The new update rolling out is part of the Redstone 2 update and brings some small features, improvements, and fixes.

However, we all know beforehand that installing early versions of Windows 10 from the Fast rings means higher chances of coming across bugs and features not working correctly. A good case and point is the recent Xbox sign-in failure after installing the latest Windows 10 Redstone 2 update, which fortunately Microsoft was able to provide a workaround.

Now on Windows 10 build 14942 a small number of users are reporting that after installing the latest update Microsoft Edge keeps crashing every time they try to open the browser.

While the company hasn't included this particular problem in its list of known issues for Windows 10, a workaround has surfaced that it seems is working for those affected.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to prevent Microsoft Edge from crashing every time you try to open it.

How to stop Microsoft Edge from crashing at startup

Important: Before proceeding with this guide, you should know that modifying the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your computer before proceeding.

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

2. Once the Registry opens, you'll notice the new address bar that lets you quickly know where you're in registry, copy and paste the following command in the address bar and press Enter:

   Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppContainer\Storage\microsoft.microsoftedge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\Children

3. Right-click each subkey (subfolder) key and select Delete.

4. Click Yes to confirm the deletion and to complete the task.

Important! Do not delete the Children key, which will prevent Microsoft Edge from starting up, only delete the subkeys.

Once you deleted subkeys manually, you should now be able to launch and use Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 build 14942 without crashes.

You can learn more about the new features, and changes included on Windows 10 build 14942 in our dive deep article.

Did the workaround fix the Microsoft Edge crashing problem on your computer? 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:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

Thanks Uncled1023 for the tip!

Should you need to remove the keycaps on your mechanical keyboard to clean the device or to switch out the caps and add a personal touch, you'll need to use a keycap puller. These small accessories wrap around a keycap, enabling you to pull out the caps without damaging them or the switches they're attached to. Gone are the times of spending a solid 10 minutes attempting to launch keycaps into space using a pocket knife.

Depending on the keyboard you purchase, the manufacturer may include a keycap puller. If not, you can pick one up off the likes of Amazon from $6. There's the choice between a wire and plastic remover, but both work in a similar fashion and should be absolutely fine in completing the task at hand.

1. Attach the puller to the keycap you wish to remove.

2. Pull up on the keycap to remove it from the switch.

3. Remove the keycap from the puller tool.

Be careful when removing keycaps, especially if your keyboard has LED backlight illumination. Should you have the input device plugged in and turned on when removing keycaps, you'll be greeted by some blinding lights. Thus we urge you to ensure everything is turned off and unplugged before attempting to remove them. That and it's generally good practice to turn electronics off before working on them.

There are custom keycaps available for purchase that can add textured feel to certain keys (like WASD for gamers) or new colors to differentiate said keys from the rest. Just like the keycap removers, some keyboard manufacturers will include these optional extras with their units, but if not you could try online stores who specialize in custom keycaps:

• TechKeys
• WASD Keyboards
• KeyCapsDirect

If all else fails, you can bend a paperclip flat, create a "U" shape and bend both ends inwards to create your own DIY keycap removal tool.

Here is our new quick how-to guide on installing the new Paint Preview app for Windows 10

Over the weekend some videos were posted revealing the all-new Microsoft Paint app coming for Windows 10. Yes, the little art app that could is getting a big makeover in the new few weeks and now you can try it early.

Today on Twitter, Gustave M., who's known for is Interop and GusTools, kindly posted the Paint .appx file signed from the Store. That means a simple sideload to your PC will let you try out the app right now.

Installation is very easy, and we'll show you how to do just that so you can play with Paint on your lunch or dinner break!

Sideload Paint Preview for Windows 10

1. Grab the .appx file hosted here on Mega
2. Double-click the downloaded file; you may be asked to associate .appx files with App Deployer (this is part of the Anniversary Update)
3. SmartScreen Filter may give a warning; Click More info instead of Don't Run
4. Select Run anyway to run installation
5. Select Install from the installer
6. Choose Launch when completed or find the app in your Start menu

That's it! The app is signed so you should not need to have Developer Privileges enabled. However, you can turn those on under Settings > Update & security > For developers > Sideload apps/Developer mode in case you do run into any problems.

This is what Paint Preview looks like when first launched

To our knowledge, the new Microsoft Paint Preview does not run on Mobile. It is not clear if Microsoft intends to change that in the future or due to the 3D rendering only proper PCs will be able to handle the graphics. This current leaked .appx is is only x64, but an x86 version should be posted soon.

Overall, Paint Preview runs quite well, but we have seen some crashes on occasion. Interestingly, it appears Paint may use the dedicated GPU in the Surface Book to help with 3D rendering. That claim is inferred from our experience of trying to detach the clipboard while the app is running, which is blocked (you need to relaunch the app in clipboard mode).

Time to play with the new Paint app!

While the new Paint app benefits from a touchscreen and pen neither are required. In fact, you can use your finger on a touchscreen, your mouse, or any object to do your drawing

Once this app is installed, you can easily uninstall it just like any other Windows app. Also, if Microsoft updates the app in the Store you may also start to get app updates as well.

It is expected Microsoft will announce the availability of this app and more later this month during their Windows 10 October event in New York City. Stay tuned as we'll be there to cover that event as it happens.

What do you think of the new Microsoft Paint? Let us know in comments after you tried it!

What do I do when I find an ocean monument?

The upcoming Boss Update to Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, set for release on October 18, will bring a whole bevy of new features, including ocean monuments and their Elder Guardians.

To prepare for the update, here's a guide to ocean monuments, including how to find them and what to do when you get there.

• What is an ocean monument?
• What is an Elder Guardian?
• How do I find an ocean monument?
• How to prepare for an ocean monument
• What does an ocean monument contain?

What is an ocean monument?

An ocean monument is a large structure that you'll only find out in deep sea. It is about three times larger than the temples you'll find in deserts, and it is made primarily from a special block called 'prismarine' that is teal in color and can be mined with a pickaxe.

Ocean monuments are sort of U-shaped, with the treasure room located somewhere inside — an ocean monument's internal layout is completely random, so you'll feel like you're in a labyrinth. The halls are lit by sea lanterns, which you can collect if you have a Silk Touch enchanted tool. Mining sea lanterns with anything else will simply drop prismarine crystals.

What is an Elder Guardian?

There are two types of mobs that spawn within an ocean monument: Guardians and Elder Guardians.

Guardians resemble one-eyed fish with orange spikes sticking out of them. They swim very fast, have a decent amount of health, and can shoot laser beams. If you attack them when their orange spikes are visible, you will receive damage. These foes should not be taken lightly, especially because the effectiveness of your sword and bow are lessened by the water. Guardians, when killed, will usually drop some prismarine shards and some raw fish.

Elder Guardians are much more difficult to beat. They have more health, a stronger laser beam attack, the same thorns-style defense, and they can cast the Mining Fatigue spell. These enemies should be dealt with first, if possible, when dealing with an ocean monument. Elder Guardians, when killed, will normally drop a couple prismarine shards, some raw fish, and a sponge.

How do I find an ocean monument?

Your best bet for finding an ocean monument is to craft a boat and set sail on the open sea. Do this at night time, as the sea lanterns will give off some light to help locate the monument.

The Elder Guardians who inhabit the ocean monument cast a spell called Mining Fatigue when you enter within sight — normally Elder Guardians spawn inside the ocean monument, but they will sometimes spawn outside. If you're sailing around and get hit with Mining Fatigue, you'll know that you're close. Your best bet is to retreat and prepare yourself for the adventure ahead.

How to prepare for an ocean monument

Ocean monuments are tough to deal with — you will want to wait until you have a good base going on land, including an enchanting table, brewing stand, and plenty of diamond.

Craft diamond armor — iron armor might also work in a pinch, but diamond is definitely best. Enchant your helmet with Respiration so that you can hold your breath longer, and enchant your boots with Depth Strider so you can move faster underwater.

Bring a sword — diamond is best, especially if it is enchanted with something offensive like Sharpness. Bows don't work great underwater, but bring one with plenty of arrows anyway in case you need it.

Crafting potions at a brewing stand is pretty much necessary to deal with the Guardians and Elder Guardians. Bring these potions:

• Potion of Water Breathing: Lets you breathe underwater.
• Potion of Healing: Restores health.
• Potion of Invisibility: Makes you invisible to the mobs.
• Potion of Swiftness: Helps you move underwater.
• Potion of Night Vision: Lets you see better if sea lanterns are not plentiful.

Bringing a bunch of signs is also a great idea. Placing signs on walls will create an air pocket where you can catch your breath between battles.

What does an ocean monument contain?

Why go to all the trouble of enchanting tools and brewing potions? Treasure! Ocean monuments contain eight gold blocks at the center; each block contains nine gold ingots, so that's 72 gold ingots in total! If you're in the business of creating a railroad, this will certainly help with powered tracks.

Ocean monuments also contain sponges, which can be used to absorb water blocks to help dry out ponds, lakes, or larger areas where you'd like to build. Sea lanterns can be mined with a tool enchanted with Silk Touch, and you'll receive plenty of prismarine blocks and prismarine crystals.

Are you up to the challenge?

Will you be actively searching for ocean monuments when the Boss Update hits? Lets us know in the comments section below!

If you keep forgetting to empty the Recycle Bin on Windows 10, then use this guide to delete your computer's trash on a schedule automatically.

When you click the delete button on a file, you're not actually deleting it from your computer. It only gets moved to the Recycle Bin, which continues to use valuable space on the hard drive.

Even though chances are you already know how to empty the Recycle Bin, you often forget to do such a simple task. Then it's not until you're running out of space that you go through the steps to manually empty the trash to delete all its content for good.

Although there are number of ways you can configure the Recycle Bin on Windows 10 (and previous versions), emptying the trash on schedule is not one of them.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to automatically empty the Recycle Bin using the Task Scheduler to keep the hard drive space optimized, while giving you enough time to recover deleted files.

How to automatically empty the Recycle Bin on schedule

1. Open Start, do a search for Task Scheduler, and press Enter.

2. Right-click Task Scheduler Library and click New Folder.

3. Name the folder My Tasks or anything descriptive. (You want to do this to keep your tasks organized and separated from the system tasks.)

4. Right-click the newly created folder and select Create task.

5. On the General tab, enter a name for the task, such as Empty Windows Recycle Bin.

6. On the Triggers tab, click New to create an action that will trigger the task.

7. For the purpose of this guide, I'll select and configure On a schedule, but you can pick from a number of trigger actions, including At log on, At startup, On an event, and more.

   Quick Tip: If you're using the schedule option as a trigger, consider using the Weekly or Monthly option, which will give you some time to recover deleted files.

8. On the Actions tab, click New.

9. Under Settings, on Programs/script enter cmd.exe.

10. Under Settings, on Add arguments enter the following argument and click OK:

    /c "echo Y|PowerShell.exe -NoProfile -Command Clear-RecycleBin"

11. Click OK to complete the task.

Once you completed the steps, the task will run automatically at the trigger condition you have configured.

More Windows 10 resources

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

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

Make your sign-in experience more secure by disabling the Password Reveal button on the Sign-in screen on Windows 10.

On Windows 10, Microsoft is adding a lot of significant changes to the operating system, including tweaks to the sign-in experience. For example, now the Sign-in screen shares a deeper integration with the Lock screen, and your email address is no longer visible for anyone to see, which was a security concern among users.

However, one thing that hasn't change in the sign-in screen is the option that reveals in the box in plain text the password you enter before trying to access your account. The option is called "Password Reveal," and while it's there on purpose to reduce the chances you don't enter a password incorrectly, if you have security concerns you can easily disable the option.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to further tighten security by disabling the Password Reveal button on the Sign-in screen.

• How to disable the Password Reveal button using Group Policy
• How to disable the Password Reveal button using the Registry

How to disable the Password Reveal button using Group Policy

If you're running Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can use the Local Group Policy to disable the Password Reveal button.

1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
2. Type gpedit.msc and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.

3. Browse the following path:

   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Credential User Interface

4. On the right, double-click the Do not display the password reveal button policy.
5. Select Enabled to disable the feature.

6. Click OK to complete the task.

After completing the steps, you can lock your computer (Windows key + L), or you can reboot your computer, and you should no longer see the password reveal button while trying to sign-in to your account.

How to disable the Password Reveal button using the Registry

In the case, you're running Windows 10 Home, you won't have access to the Local Group Policy Editor, but you can still get the same results modifying the Registry.

Important: This is a friendly reminder to let you know that editing the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your computer before proceeding.

1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type regedit, and click OK to open the registry.

2. Browse the following path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CredUI

3. If the CredUI (folder) key isn't present, you have to create it. Right-click Windows (folder) key, and select New, and click Key.

4. Name the key CredUI and press Enter.

5. Right-click on the right side, select New, and click DWORD (32-bit) Value.

6. Name the key DisablePasswordReveal and click OK.

7. Double-click the newly created key, and set its value from 0 to 1.

8. Restart your computer to complete the task.

Now at login, you should no longer see the password reveal option.

Sign-in screen with password reveal (left), without password reveal (right)

It's worth pointing out that configuring this policy will remove the password reveal button on the sign-in screen as well as through the operating system and apps.

More Windows 10 resources

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

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

It's not rocket science, but purchasing a GPU can be a rather daunting task. Here's our buyer's guide to help you make the perfect choice.

Should you wish to not only work but play on your PC, you'll need to look at investing in a capable GPU. The Graphics Processing Unit is responsible for rendering everything you see on-screen, as well as taking work loads off the CPU when working through calculations. The last thing you want to do when purchasing a new GPU is to waste your money on an old one or one that's not powerful enough to do what you need!

In this buyer's guide we'll help you get the best GPU for your money. Here's what you need to know:

• Check what you have
• Check what you need
• Pick a GPU

Check what you have

Whenever you look at investing in a new component for your PC, it's good practice to run a piece of software to have a gander at what you have already. This will help determine just how recent other components are and whether or not they will become a bottleneck for your upcoming GPU purchase. In order to have a look at what makes everything tick inside the PC case, there are a number of software options available; CPU-Z and Speccy are the two most popular.

These apps will tell you what motherboard you have, as well as CPU, RAM and other bits and pieces. We'll mainly need to see what CPU you have, and a good measurement to use in order to determine how good your CPU will be with a new GPU purchase is 3D Mark. The higher the 3D Mark score, the better a CPU generally is in gaming and other intensive applications. It shouldn't be used as a definitive value, but the 3D Mark of a specific chip will give you an idea as to how powerful it is.

As well as the score, one should also consider the age of the processor, the generation it's part of, the manufacturing process used, the cooler installed, whether or not it's overclocked, and how many cores you're rocking. Intel has its ARK platform available for conveniently searching its portfolio of CPUs. If you're on #TeamRed, AMD has a similar feature on its own website.

To accompany a decent, modern CPU, a capable gaming rig also needs to have a decent amount of RAM; 8GB is safe, but 16GB is the sweet spot. The power supply (PSU) is an important consideration when looking at a new GPU. Generally, a single graphics card will not require anything more than 500W, which is widely considered as the best option for consumers. Should you have a PSU that offers less, you'll need to double check if enough power will be available.

Lastly: cooling. Not only should you have ample cooling for your CPU, but the graphics card can also get hot when you put it under a heavy load. We recommend having solid negative airflow — fans pushing in cool air from the front and top of the case, and an exhaust fan pulling it out on the rear. This is less vital for rear exhaust-cooled cards that do not add to the already warm temperature readings from inside the case, but more cooling never hurt anyone.

Should you have a capable CPU, ample amounts of cooling and power available, we'll move on to see just what you will need from your next GPU.

Check what you need

Ask yourself: "What do I need a GPU for?" Are you an avid League of Legends summoner? Or do you wish to take full advantage of current-gen gaming and enjoy slaying ghouls in Witcher 3 at 1440p on highest graphics settings? If the answer is the former, you'll need to think about more affordable graphics cards that don't require advanced components to get the most out of the GPU. Something in the $150 region would do just fine with casual gaming and titles that don't require much power.

As for more demanding games, it's generally down to your budget and what your current PC has in terms of CPU, RAM and more. If you're rocking anything less than a recent Intel Core i5 or AMD FX-8, it's not worth forking out on top-of-the-line and most expensive options. The mid-range is ideal for you and these cards can even power the latest games at decent quality levels. With the latest GTX 10-series from NVIDIA, the 1060 will be more than enough.

AMD's RX line of GPUs are less powerful than the latest GTX family, but are much more affordable. It's possible to pick up an RX 480 that is more than capable of powering VR content for around $200. Another factor worth considering at this stage in the process is the resolution the PC will be outputting at. 1080p is great for smaller displays and less powerful hardware, 1440p is the sweet spot for gamers currently and 4K is still located at the end of the pilgrimage.

Jumping up from 1080p to 1440p will require a substantial boost in power, and even moreso with 4K. Just like graphics and detail levels, the higher the resolution, the more powerful your PC and GPU will need to be. Should you be leaping up in display resolutions on less capable hardware, you'll then need to resort to lowering quality levels to achieve stable frame rates (frames per-second or FPS). Generally speaking:

• Entry: 1080p / ~$250 — Perfect for less demanding titles
• Mid-range: 1080p, 1440p / $250-$500 — For those looking at stable FPS and VR
• High-end: 1440p, 4K / $500+ — If you have a money tree planted in the yard

The above is a rough estimation. Depending on sales and aggressive pricing, it's possible to bag a decent GPU for less, especially with competition heating up and latest families of GPUs driving down last-gen cards. As part of this guide, we'll offer some solid examples of certain requirements, be it 1440p gaming, virtual reality or the best bang-for-the-buck.

Pick a GPU

Now that you have a rough idea as to what you need a GPU for and how powerful your PC is, next comes to choice between AMD and NVIDIA. The latter continues to dominate the market, launching the new GTX 10 series that offers immense amount of power, though AMD has some very capable graphics cards at more affordable prices. Both companies have yet to bolster their line-ups with all cards to be released this generation so it's difficult to tell who will come out on top.

For now, however, we'd recommend NVIDIA unless you're tight on budget. The GTX 1060, GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 are astounding pieces of kit. As an added bonus with these new cards now on sale, older generation options are now priced lower, notably the GTX 900 series. That said, nothing really beats AMD on price, the company's RX 480, which is the current most powerful card in the family is available for just over $200. Need power? NVIDIA. Require a bargain or enjoy #TeamRed? Go AMD.

Another thing to note is FreeSync and G-Sync, which are technologies developed by AMD and NVIDIA, respectively. Purchasing a monitor supporting either feature will help with synchronizing the display with the attached graphics card to reduce input lag and screen tear. Say goodbye to V-Sync. AMD's tech is cheaper for screen manufacturers to include, so you'll be paying out slightly more for G-Sync displays.

• Read more about G-Sync
• Read more about FreeSync

We'll be sure to update this guide on upcoming hardware releases so if you're able to hold off for then, we'd recommend doing so. Taking into account the three tiers of GPU we explained above, here are some options you should look at, depending on your requirements.

Insane Power

Look, 4K gaming is still some way off. Sure, you can comfortably enjoy 4K gaming with good FPS after lowering quality settings slightly, but we're almost at a point where spending countless hundreds will ensure a smooth and incredible experience. A single GTX 1080 will be able to play titles at this resolution, while two of them in paired SLI configuration will unlock insane amounts of power. That, and a super-high price tag.

We're still holding off for AMD's high-end competitor to the GTX 1080. Should you only own a 1440p or 1080p monitor and don't require a GPU for other demanding tasks like video editing, we would urge you to look at the next option down.

• 4K gaming
• Start from around $600

• NVIDIA GTX 1080

1440p Gaming

This mid-tier category of GPUs are perfect for 1080p and 1440p gaming on high-ultra settings. This is the more popular sector with the GTX 1070 and R9 Fury taking our spots for recommendation. While NVIDIA's new card is more efficient and requires less power but will set you back slightly more.

• 1440p gaming
• Start from around $300

• NVIDIA GTX 1070
• AMD R9 Fury

1080p Gaming

This tier isn't necessarily bottom-line, nor are our two examples here cheap by any means. That said, the GTX 1060 and RX 480 are more than capable of 1080p gaming on ultra settings. You should be able to enjoy all games in your Steam library (even those titles you've still yet to download and install) without issue. But if you upgrade your monitor, you're going to need to invest in a new card or lower quality settings.

Both cards are superb options, and as an added bonus both even support VR gaming.

• 1080p gaming
• Start from around $200

• NVIDIA GTX 1060
• AMD RX 480

What are the achievements in Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta?

Thanks to integration with Xbox Live, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta has achievements to unlock. There are 56 in total, each earning you points toward your Gamerscore.

Here's a collection of all the achievements and how to unlock them!

Guide to Minecraft achievements

Acquire Hardware: (15 points) Mine a block of iron ore and smelt it in a furnace — creating the iron ingot will unlock this achievement.

Adventuring Time: (40 points) Discover at least 17 different biomes in the Overworld.

Archer: (10 points) Use your bow and arrow to kill a creeper before it explodes.

Artificial Selection: (30 points) Breed a mule by placing a horse and a donkey into love mode.

Bake Bread: (15 points) Craft bread using three pieces of wheat.

Benchmaking: (10 points) Craft a workbench using any four blocks of wood planks.

Body Guard: (20 points) Create an iron golem using four iron blocks and a pumpkin.

Camouflage: (30 points) Find a charged creeper (it must be struck by lightning), have it explode near another monster, pick up that monster's head, wear it as a helmet, and kill a monster of the same type.

Chestful of Cobblestone: (20 points) Fill a chest with cobblestone — that's 27 full stacks of 64 cobblestone.

Cow Tipper: (15 points) Kill a cow and take the leather that drops.

Delicious Fish: (15 points) Catch a fish with a fishing rod and cook it in a furnace.

DIAMONDS!: (20 points) Mine diamond ore with an iron pickaxe.

Diamond to you!: (15 points) Give diamond to another player by holding them in your hand and pressing Q on your keyboard.

Dispense With This: (20 points) Craft a dispenser.

Enchanter: (20 points) Craft an enchanting table from obsidian, diamond, and a book.

Freight Station: (15 points) Craft a minecart with a chest and use a hopper to transport an item between the minecart and a regular chest.

Getting an Upgrade: (15 points) Craft a pickaxe of better quality than the first one you crafted.

Getting Wood: (10 points) Hit a tree with your hand until you harvest the block of raw wood.

Have a Shearful Day: (15 points) Craft shears and use them to harvest wool from a sheep.

Hot Topic: (15 points) Craft a furnace using eight blocks of cobblestone.

Inception: (20 points) Place a regular piston and a sticky piston so that they're facing each other with no space between. Power the regular piston with a lever so that it extends, then power the sticky piston with a lever. Hit the lever again to pull the piston back.

Into Fire: (20 points) Travel to the Nether, kill a Blaze, and pick up the Blaze rod.

Into the Nether: (30 points) Create a Nether portal using at least 10 blocks of obsidian.

Iron Belly: (20 points) Eat a piece of rotten flesh when you're losing health to starvation.

Iron Man: (15 points) Craft and wear at the same time an iron helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots.

It's a Sign!: (15 points) Craft a sign and place it on a wall or on the ground.

Leader of the Pack: (20 points) Tame five wolves by giving them a bone.

Librarian: (20 points) Craft a bookshelf using six blocks of wood planks and three books.

Lion Tamer: (15 points) Tame an ocelot by right-clicking it with a fish in your hand.

Local Brewery: (15 points) Brew a potion on a brewing stand.

Map Room: (40 points) Create a map wall from nine explored maps.

MOAR Tools: (15 points) Craft a pickaxe, an axe, a shovel, and a hoe.

Monster Hunter: (15 points) Kill a zombie, skeleton, creeper, or other monster.

On A Rail: (40 points) Get in a minecart and travel at least 500 meters away from your starting point.

Overkill: (30 points) Hit an enemy or other player for at least nine hearts of damage with a single hit from a sword — use a diamond sword and enchant it with something like Sharpness.

Passing the Time: (20 points) Play for 100 in-game days of time.

Pork Chop: (10 points) Kill a pig, pick up a porkchop, cook it in a furnace, and eat it.

Pot Planter: (15 points) Craft a flower pot from three bricks and put it somewhere nice.

Rainbow Collection: (30 points) Collect all the colors of wool — there are 16 in total.

Renewable Energy: (10 points) Create charcoal using a furnace, then burn raw wood using the charcoal to create more charcoal.

Repopulation: (15 points) Breed a calf by using wheat to put two cows into love mode.

Return to Sender: (30 points) Travel to the Nether, and hit a fireball back at a Ghast by left-clicking it when it's about to hit you.

Saddle Up: (20 points) Tame a horse by right-clicking it with an empty hand. You will get bucked off several times, but eventually hearts will appear — this means you've tamed it.

Smelt Everything!: (15 points) Use three hoppers to connect three chests to a single furnace.

Sniper Duel: (30 points) Kill a skeleton with a bow and arrow when you're at least 50 meters away from it.

Stayin' Frosty: (20 points) Drink a fire resistance potion, then jump into lava.

Taking Inventory: (10 points) Hit E on your keyboard to open your inventory.

Taste of Your Own Medicine: (20 points) Throw a poisonous splash potion at a witch.

The Lie: (30 points) Craft a cake from sugar, wheat, milk, and eggs.

Tie Dye Outfit: (15 points) Dye four different pieces of leather armor in a cauldron.

Time to Farm!: (10 points) Craft a hoe.

Time to Mine!: (10 points) Craft a pickaxe.

Time to Strike!: (10 points) Craft a sword.

Trampoline: (15 points) Jump from a high ledge, hit a slime block, and bounce at least 30 blocks into the air.

When Pigs Fly: (40 points) Saddle a pig, ride it, and jump off a ledge high enough that the pig gets hurt when it lands.

Zombie Doctor: (40 points) Hit a zombie villager with a potion of weakness and feed it a golden apple to change it back to a normal villager.

Your achievements

How many achievements have you unlocked so far? Which one did you find the most difficult? Let us know in the comments section below!

If you only want to change the accent color in the taskbar, you can edit the Registry to prevent the Start menu and Action Center from changing color in the process.

Windows 10 includes a lot of personalization options to change the appearance of the operating system to make the experience more personal. However, there some customization options that are designed to change a group of elements on Windows 10, when you're probably only interested in customizing one.

For example, if you want to pick an accent color for the taskbar, you only get one option to show accent color on the Start menu, taskbar, and action center. Unfortunately, the Settings app doesn't offer separate options to change color individually. However, if you know your way around the Registry, you can change the taskbar color to anything you want, while preventing the Start menu and action center from changing color in the process.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll guide you through the steps to modify the Registry to change color only on the taskbar on Windows 10.

How to change taskbar color, while keeping Start and Action Center dark

Important: This is a friendly reminder to let you know that editing the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible damage to your installation if you don't do it correctly. It's recommended to make a full backup of your computer before proceeding.

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Personalization.
3. Click on Colors.
4. Pick an accent color, which will be the color you want to use in the taskbar.

5. Turn on the Show color on Start, taskbar, and action center toggle switch.

6. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
7. Type regedit and click OK to open the Registry.

8. Browse the following key:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Themes\Personalize

9. On the right side, double-click the ColorPrevalence key and check the value to 2.

10. Click OK to complete the task.

Once you close the Registry, you can now open Start menu or Action Center, and you'll notice that they are retaining its dark color.

The only caveat you have to keep in mind is that the Start menu and Action Center will keep their dark color as long as you don't turn off the "Show color on Start, taskbar, and action center" toggle switch. Once you do that, it will reset the ColorPrevalence to its default value, and you'll have to go through the steps again. However, changing the accent color won't reset the Registry key.

More Windows 10 resources

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

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

How do I use custom player skins in Minecraft?

One of the coolest parts of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta is the ability to upload a custom skin for your player. These skins can be created by you, or they can be chosen from a list of pre-made designs.

Here's how to swap out the stock player skin with a custom skin of your choice!

• How to create your own skin
• How to download a premade skin
• How to upload a skin into Minecraft

How to create your own skin

The website minecraftskins.com has an excellent skin editor you can use to make whatever skin you want.

1. Launch your favorite web browser from your Start menu, desktop, or taskbar.
2. Navigate to www.minecraftskins.com/skin-editor/.

3. Click a color from the color wheel.

4. Click squares on the player model to apply the color.

5. Click the eraser button.

6. Click any colored squares you want to erase.

7. Click and drag a blank space beside the model to rotate it.

8. Click the Download to Computer button when you're happy with your skin.
9. Click Save.

How to download a pre-made skin

The website minecraftskins.com hosts a ton of skins made by other fans of Minecraft — you can download them and upload them into Minecraft. Here's how to download a premade skin.

1. Launch your favorite web browser from the Start menu, desktop, or taskbar.
2. Navigate to www.minecraftskins.com.

3. Click a skin that interest you. In this case, we choose Turtle.

4. Click the Download button. Make sure the file you're downloading is a PNG file.

5. Click Save. The skin will be, by default, saved to your Downloads folder.

How to upload a skin into Minecraft

Now that you've either created a new skin or downloaded a pre-made skin, you can upload it into Minecraft.

1. Launch Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta from your desktop, Start menu, or taskbar.
2. Click the hanger button located beneath your character's avatar.

3. Click the blank model beneath the Default field.

4. Click Choose New Skin.

5. Navigate to your Downloads folder or wherever you saved your custom skin.

6. Click the skin you want to upload.

7. Click Open.

8. Click the model type that looks best.

9. Click Confirm Skin.

That's it! You now have a custom skin for your Minecraft player.

Your custom skin

Do you use a custom skin for your player? Let us know which one in the comments section below!