As the end of the year approaches, the next major update is brewing for Xbox One. These are the features we expect to see this fall.

The next major update is just around the corner for Xbox One owners, and it is expected to bring a new wave of features to the console this fall. With the launch of the 4K-capable Xbox One X, this year is shaping up to be rather crucial for Microsoft, and subsequently, the changes to the console's OS are more significant than ever.

Although Microsoft has yet to officially unveil the next update for Xbox One, the similarity with Windows 10 PC update cycles points towards the latter months of this year. While those on PC will be getting the "Fall Creators Update," Kevin Gallo, Director of Windows Developer Platform at Microsoft, has confirmed the next update will bring a similar set of features but likely bear a different name.

After multiple waves of new features rolled out to Xbox Insiders, we now have a better idea of what major features are debuting this fall. We've also pieced together various teasers, which provide an idea of other features to expect. Going forward, more changes will likely be added to this list, as more builds are available to Xbox Insiders.

Confirmed: Fluent Design refresh

One of the biggest changes arriving with the Fall Creators Update is the initial rollout of the Fluent Design System– a new universal design language slowly being distributed across Windows 10. Aiming to add additional depth and texture to the company's existing products, Fluent Design delivers a range of new visual traits, while still maintaining a level of minimalism seen in current revisions of the OS.

Five main foundations are at the core of the initial wave of the Fluent Design System's rollout: Material, Light, Scale, Depth, and Motion. Each of these traits is expected to make an appearance somewhere across the Xbox One OS going forward, making for a more stylish and dynamic approach to user interface (UI) interaction.

In current builds available to Xbox Insiders, the early implementations of Fluent Design are already present. Some of the more noticeable changes, such as translucent elements, bold highlights on selected items and improved fluidity, are all part of this new approach to UI design.

• Xbox One dashboard is getting a Fluent Design overhaul — here's what's new
• A slick new Fluent Design setup experience is coming to the Xbox One

Confirmed: New modular Home menu

As an extension of the Fluent Design overhaul, an upcoming redesign of the Home menu makes for the biggest change in terms of functionality. Unlike previous iterations of the dashboard, which were based on a static template for all users, Microsoft is now putting an emphasis on customizability on a per-user basis.

Following the update, Home will be a modular menu, comprised of user-defined "content blocks." Specific games, friends, and features will be pinnable onto the dashboard and accessed by scrolling down from the main Home screen fixed at the top of the page. Utilizing a similar system to traditional software pinning, blocks of content can be easily added and removed on the fly. New "discover" sections are also seen across the Home, suggesting various activities and features based on your preferences.

Although some revisions are expected to occur leading up to launch, the concept of modular blocks of content is already showing some promise. Being able to pin content feeds for certain titles, or track your closest friends, the Home menu now condenses key information into an easily-accessible location.

Confirmed: Redesigned Xbox Guide menu

Some significant changes are also on their way to the Xbox Guide, in an attempt to further improve the speed and fluidity of the pop-out menu. While general refinements have been made to the Guide since its debut in 2015, it's soon undergoing the biggest change yet as a part of this fall's update.

From a usability standpoint, the prominent difference comes to the tabs of the Guide menu. Tabs will be sorted horizontally across the top of the guide, rather than down the side, widening the area in which content can be displayed.

Tweaks are also being made to how features are distributed across tabs, with inspiration from stock apps from Windows 10 for PCs. The Guide will also do a better job at accommodating the flagship features of Xbox Live, under the seven retrospective tabs now available.

Confirmed: Improved Community tab

A new approach is being taken to the Community tab of the dashboard, with a focus on delivering an easily consumable stream of content. Up until now, the Activity Feed has become a cluttered feed of game clips and achievements, serving little purpose to the average gamer.

With the redesign, the Activity Feed will be arranged to display more content on screen at a single time, through an adaptive tile interface. Taking full advantage of the available screen space, the Community section should be a more appealing section of the dashboard going forward. The same filtering options will also remain, allowing users to tweak which categories of content are displayed in the feed.

Confirmed: New Xbox Avatars

Avatars were a major component of the Xbox 360 social experience and served as one of the primary methods of self-expression over Xbox Live. These customizable digital characters eventually became tightly integrated into several aspects of the Xbox platform, with numerous appearances across social features and even games.

Following the Xbox One's release, Avatars were pushed to the background and nowadays, are all but abandoned. In current versions of the OS, there's little incentive to even open the dedicated Avatars app, let alone frequently invest in them.

As showcased at E3 2017, Avatars are also set to see a major overhaul later this year. Built from the ground up in the Unity engine, the second generation of Avatars come with hugely increased flexibility. Among the improvements are enriched emotions, diversity, and customization, which each give players the tools for true individualism. Hoping to encompass a larger demographic of games, Avatars will be able to portray disabilities, style preferences, different backgrounds and more.

First look at Microsoft's gorgeous new Xbox avatars

Confirmed: System-wide Light theme

A new "Light" theme is also on its way with the Xbox One fall update, adding another major option for customizing the OS. As the name suggests, enabling this option colors the dashboard with white and gray user interface elements, rather than the black and dark grays seen in the current "Dark" theme.

After rolling out, the darker color scheme will remain as the default going forward. However, the option to switch to the Light theme is only a few clicks away. For many, this theme is a better way to view the dashboard in brightly lit environments, without worrying about incoming glare.

How to switch on the light theme for Xbox One

Confirmed: Original Xbox backward compatibility

As announced at E3 2017, the backward compatibility program will also be expanding in the months ahead, with the inclusion of original Xbox titles. After two years, support for Xbox 360 games has proven to be one of the Xbox One's most popular features and now a new generation of games is being ushered into the console's library.

Little has been discussed since its brief announcement at E3 but ultimately functionality will remain the same as its Xbox 360 counterpart. While physical disks will be usable to play supported titles, digital versions of these classics will be up for grabs through the original Xbox Store.

So far, "Fuzion Frenzy" and "Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge" are the two titles confirmed to be among the launch library. While Xbox head Phil Spencer has emphasized that titles at launch will be significantly fewer than Xbox 360, we can still expect several iconic games to be revived in the process.

• List of original Xbox games that are backward compatible on Xbox One
• 10 original Xbox games we're dying to see hit Xbox One backward compatibility

Confirmed: New screen saver features

The Xbox fall update will also introduce some new functionality to the console if placed in an idle state, after being left untouched for some time. Until now the Xbox One has dimmed the screen after a period of inactivity, but new "screen saver" options aim to further protect your TV from image retention and burn-in. Although these issues were widespread with CRT displays and old Plasma TVs of the past, the increased adoption of "OLED" has surfaced worries once again.

Following the update, once the console falls into an idle state, a discreet noise pattern will be cast over the output with various moving bars across the screen. This prevents pixels from remaining at a consistent intensity and reduces the likelihood of long-lasting damage.

When in this state, the screen saver will also collect your notifications into a single, more visible location. This larger panel will remain on-screen until returning to the console, to avoid missing important activities. This is one of the features that will also take advantage of the new Xbox Avatars coming to Xbox Live.

This is how the new screen dimmer works in the Xbox fall update

Expected: Xbox Store digital gifting and wishlist

A request that dates back to the debut of Xbox Live may finally be fulfilled later this year, with the rollout of digital gifting via the Xbox Store. Responding to a fan on Twitter, Ybarra has confirmed that the ability to send digital products to friends is in the works, with functionality "not far" from a public release. Furthermore, on a recent panel at PAX West, it was announced that either game gifting or wishlists will be coming "very soon."

A basic form of digital gifting first hit Xbox 360 in early 2016, allowing gamers to send digital currency gift cards over Xbox Live. However, over two years after Xbox One's launch, its appeal was somewhat limited at the time. With platforms like Steam sporting an established gifting system ingrained into their community, its arrival for Xbox One is long overdue.

Bringing the functionality to Xbox One should further add to the offerings of the Xbox Store – a marketplace which has already improved massively in recent years. While we're still yet to hear of other highly-requested features, such as an Item Carts, these could also be potential additions in the pipeline.

Expected: Support for USB devices

The scope of peripherals compatible with Xbox One is also set to expand going forward, with support for various USB devices on the horizon. Plans have been outlined to expand to a wider range of plug-and-play devices, such as USB-connected webcams, headphones, and microphones. However, without an exact timeline for when support for USB devices will be implemented, the feature may also still be some time off.

Although USB accessories are already available for Xbox One, such as Turtle Beach's Stream Mic, these devices were built specifically with support for the console in mind. Leveraging the Windows 10 kernel at the core of the Xbox One OS, the update should allow the console to automatically handle driver installation. As a result, this should eliminate the need to purchase Xbox-specific accessories, if you already own a Windows-compatible equivalent for PC. This is a feature that may not make an appearance this year, depending on how development has progressed.

Other miscellaneous changes

Some other minor changes are coming to the Xbox One OS and while not groundbreaking, they're still welcome to see. These are some of the miscellaneous tweaks seen so far, being released as a part of the fall update.

• Additional content transfer options: Some minor changes are being made to the "Games and Apps" application, allowing users to transfer or copy multiple pieces of content between local drives at a single time. Up until now, users have had to manually select each piece of content and choose the destination on a per app or game basis.
• New Xbox Assist app: The Xbox Help app, a built-in solution for help and troubleshooting, has also been revamped as a part of the update. Alongside the rebrand to "Xbox Assist," the app has seen a major UI overhaul with hints of Fluent Design, as a well as new in-depth content.
• Pin limit raised to 40: The upcoming Xbox One update also makes some alterations to Pins, following the changes to the Home menu. Now, up to 40 different items can be pinned to the Xbox Home and Guide, with their size adaptive to the number of Pins.
• Arabic and Hebrew support: Support is being added for right-to-left languages for the first time in the console's history. Arabic and Hebrew are no longer absent from the OS and can be enabled via the Settings app.
• Mixer 1080p streaming: The ability to upload 1080p live video to Microsoft's Mixer live streaming platform is also on the way to the console. Depending on your bandwidth, this feature will automatically enable when on a capable network.
• New notification sorting: Some minor revisions have recently been made to notification sorting, to streamline the experience of consuming important updates. Now, game invites are sorted into the Multiplayer tab of the Guide, while Achievement notifications fall into the Achievements tab. This frees up the Action Center for other notifications while putting time sensitive activities into set locations.
• Active widgets on Guide: When in an Xbox Live Party chat or broadcasting a game, a widget will now be displayed on the Guide landing page for quick access to various options.
• Game Hub Welcome tabs: When opening a Game Hub on Xbox One, players are greeted with the Welcome tab, which culminates various content across a hub into one centralized location.

What features do you want to see?

Previously we asked you which features you'd like to see on Xbox One going forward. We made sure to compile these into a wish list, bringing your requests together into a single location. After looking at the additions expected this fall, what else would you like to see? Make sure to drop a comment below with your thoughts. As always, make sure to revisit this article in the months ahead, once more details drop.

Updated September 12, 2017: We updated this guide with the latest wave of features currently available to Xbox Insiders.

How do I get Rift games working on my Vive?

PC gamers have long been proud of their peacefulness (other than a few mild dust-ups with the console armies). There hasn't been a war between PC gamers in years!

Keeping with the trend of sharing and caring, LibreVR created Revive, software that lets HTC Vive owners play Oculus Rift games. Why can't Rift games by default be played on Vive? We'll get into that.

Let's take a look at how Revive works, a little history about Oculus games, and finally a list of all the Rift games that work with Vive.

Read more at VRHeads!

Destiny 2 returns with the trio of classes from the first installment: Titan, Warlock, and Hunter. In this article, we're going to go over the Hunter in-depth. Here's our definitive guide to the class, as well as some tips and suggestions.

What is the Hunter class?

If Titans are the tanks and Warlocks are the mages, then the Hunter class is Destiny 2's equivalent to a rogue. Hunters have low durability — you can only take a few hits before going down — but for what they lack in endurance, they make up for in agility. Thanks to their light armor and clothing, the Hunter the fastest of the three Guardian classes. When put to good use, their speed and nimble movement abilities allow them to be the best scouts, assassins, and sharpshooters of all of the Light's warriors.

Basic abilities

No matter what subclass of Hunter you choose to be, all members of the class share two types of abilities: dodges and jumps.

Dodge types:

• Marksman's Dodge - A directional dodge that quickly allows you to avoid damage that also instantly reloads your weapon.
• Gambler's Dodge - A directional dodge that allows you to avoid damage, as well as generating melee power for your next attack when used near enemies.

Jump types:

• High Jump - After jumping, you can jump a second time to go higher.
• Strafe Jump - After jumping, jumping again activates strong horizontal momentum.
• Triple Jump - You can jump two more times after an initial jump to reach large heights.

Subclasses

In Destiny 2, there are three subclasses available to the Hunters — Arcstrider, Gunslinger, and Nightstalker. Each offers their own unique strengths and weaknesses, as well as abilities, both regular and super, exclusive to that subclass. On top of that, each subclass also has two available skill trees that further increase the number of playstyles you can adopt.

Arcstrider

Arcstriders are the ninjas of the Hunter class. Instead of staying clear of enemies, the Arcstrider is best at fighting them up close and personal, bobbing and weaving as you take them down, one by one, via powerful melee strikes. The Arcstrider, therefore, specializes in harassing the enemy up close and constantly being a nuisance.

SUPER ABILITY: Arc Staff - Summon a staff made of pure Arc energy for the Arcstrider to use to assault enemies with.

Grenade abilities:

• Arcbolt Grenade - A grenade that spreads several lightning bolts to nearby enemies on detonation.
• Flux Grenade - An explosive grenade that deals extra damage to enemies it's attached to.
• Skip Grenade - A fragmentation grenade that, upon detonation, sends several smaller projectiles outward that seek out targets.

Way of the Warrior skill tree abilities:

• Deadly Reach - Dodging increases your melee range, allowing you to hit enemies from farther away.
• Combat Flow - Melee kills recharge your dodge ability.
• Combination Blow - Killing an enemy with this melee ability regenerates health.
• Lethal Current - After dodging while using Arc Staff, each hit will cause aftershock lightning damage.

Way of the Wind skill tree abilities:

• Disorienting Blow - Striking an enemy with this melee ability will cause both them and nearby enemies to become disoriented.
• Focused Breathing - Sprinting recharges your dodge ability.
• Combat Meditation - When critically wounded, your melee and grenade abilities charge faster.
• Lightning Reflexes - You are much harder to kill while using your dodge.

Gunslinger

The Gunslinger is the sharpshooter of the Hunters. Where the Arcstrider likes to physically assault enemies up close, the Gunslinger generally stays at medium to long range, hitting precision headshots on enemies with hand cannons and other highly accurate firearms. Specializing in huge burst damage potential to either soften up or outright kill foes, the Gunslinger is a force to be reckoned with.

SUPER ABILITY: Golden Gun - Pull out a flaming Solar pistol that does huge damage to enemies.

• Incendiary Grenade - A grenade that catches enemies on fire, causing damage over time.
• Swarm Grenade - Grenade that sends out mini-drones to attack various enemies.
• Tripmine Grenade - Grenade that acts like a mine, detonating when enemies get close.

Way of the Outlaw skill tree abilities:

• Chains of Woe - Kills with headshots increase reload speed for you and nearby allies.
• Bombs for Bullseyes - Precision kills recharge your grenade energy.
• Six-Shooter - Your Golden Gun can be fired six times, but the duration is shorter.
• Explosive Knife - Throw a knife that explodes on impact.

Way of the Sharpshooter skill tree abilities:

• Knife-Juggler - Throw a knife at enemies. Precision kills with it immediately recharge the ability.
• Gunslinger's Trance - Each precision kill you get charges your Golden Gun a small amount.
• Crowd-Pleaser - Precision hits with Golden Gun generate Orbs of Light for your allies.
• Line 'Em Up - Precision hits with Golden Gun increase the ability's damage and duration.

Nightstalker

While the Arcstrider and Gunslinger are best at raw damage output, the Nightstaker fills more of a supportive role. While you can still dish out the hurt with Nightstalker, the true utility of this subclass is their ability to slow enemies down and prevent them from using their abilities. Therefore, the Nightstalker class specializes in making it easier for their teammates to defeat enemies by immobilizing and disabling them.

SUPER ABILITY: Shadowshot - Summon a Void Light bow and fire arrows that, upon impact, create special Void Anchors that slow and disable enemies within their vicinity.

Grenade abilities:

• Vortex Grenade - This grenade creates a large area of effect vortex that constantly damages enemies inside.
• Spike Grenade - This grenade sticks to surfaces and then projects a cone of Void damage outward that damages all enemies it touches.
• Voidwall Grenade - When thrown, this grenade creates a horizontal wall of burning Void Light upon impact.

Melee ability:

• Smoke - Unlike the other subclasses, your melee ability isn't a melee at all. Rather, it's a smoke bomb that causes damage and disorients enemies.

Way of the Trapper skill tree abilities:

• Snare Bomb - Your Smoke bomb can be attached to surfaces and detonates when enemies are near it.
• Keen Scout - You can sprint and sneak around faster, while also gaining an enhanced tracker.
• Deadfall - Your Void Anchors during use of Shadowshot will last longer and have a longer reach.
• Vanishing Step - Dodging causes you to briefly turn invisible.

Way of the Pathfinder skill tree abilities:

• Vanish in Smoke - You and allies in the blast of your Smoke bomb become invisible to enemies.
• Lockdown - Your Smoke and Grenade abilities last twice as long.
• Heart of the Pack - Kills on tethered enemies generate Orbs of Light and buff teammates with faster recovery and movement.
• Moebius Quiver - Shadowshot arrows can be fired rapidly, and already tethered enemies will take huge bonus damage.

Builds

To help guide you in picking a direction to go with when you're playing as a Hunter, we've come up with three types of builds (one for each subclass) to give you an example of how you can find success.

Arcstrider: The Bladedancer

• Movement ability: Strafe Jump
• Grenade ability: Arcbolt Grenade
• Dodge ability: Gambler's Dodge
• Skill path: Way of the Warrior
• Kinetic weapon: Auto Rifle
• Energy weapon: Submachine Gun
• Heavy weapon: Sword

The "Bladedancer" build emphasizes the Arcstrider's incredibly high effectiveness in close quarters combat. By using strafe jump to quickly close the distance on foes, the Arcstrider can then begin to chain melees to recharge their dodges. In doing so, they will frequently be diving around the battlefield, pummeling enemies with the combined power of the melee-enhancing gambler's dodge and the extended melee reach from the deadly reach skill.

If you start to take a lot of damage, either land a combination blow to regenerate your health or start to utilize your auto rifle and submachine gun to shred your foes up close. When utilizing your super ability, try and dodge as much as possible so that your Arc Staff strikes generate aftershock effects.

Lastly, if you find yourself in need of some heavy damage but your super isn't available, a sword heavy weapon is incredibly effective at doing high levels of damage to enemies. Paired with your dodging perks, it will be an even more effective tool.

Gunslinger: Billy the Kid

• Movement ability: Triple Jump
• Grenade ability: Swarm Grenade
• Dodge ability: Marksman's Dodge
• Skill path: Way of the Sharpshooter
• Kinetic weapon: Hand Cannon
• Energy weapon: Hand Cannon
• Heavy weapon: Sniper Rifle

The "Billy the Kid" build for the Gunslinger focuses on making the class a deadeye sharpshooter. Using triple jump, you can get to advantageous high ground positions to fire down at enemies from. Then, begin blasting away at foes with your dual hand cannons like a real cowboy.

After several headshots, you should find that, thank to the sharpshooter skill tree, you'll have your super charged a lot faster for hitting precision shots. When you use Golden Gun, prioritize hitting precision shots, as they will do more damage and also make your super last longer. The Orbs of Light generated for your fellow Guardians will also help them get their supers, giving your super a support element.

Utilize your swarm grenade to injure groups of enemies in order to potentially make them vulnerable to one shot kills from precision hits. Marksman's dodge will help keep you safe and your weapons loaded, and when you need some high caliber precision damage, your trusty sniper rifle will be instrumental in putting large holes in the faces of tougher enemies.

Nightstalker: The Well-Rounded Warrior

• Movement ability: Strafe Jump
• Grenade ability: Voidwall Grenade
• Dodge ability: Marksman's Dodge
• Skill path: Way of the Pathfinder
• Kinetic weapon: Pulse Rifle
• Energy weapon: Submachine Gun
• Heavy weapon: Grenade Launcher

The "Well-Rounded Warrior" build turns the Nightstalker into a perfect jack-of-all-trades supporting Guardian on the battlefield. Utilizing strafe jump to always be with the team, you can then use your Smoke bomb ability to cloak yourself and your teammates as you engage the enemy.

Always make sure that you're firing with your pulse rifle or submachine gun; use the rifle for enemies at medium and long range, and fall back on the submachine gun when enemies close the distance. To help keep the hordes of foes away from your team, use your voidwall grenade to wall your position off with flames. Your lockdown skill helps immensely with this, as the doubled effects of the voidwall grenade will ensure that your team will be relatively safe from melee rushes for a good amount of time.

When the time comes to use supers, your Shadowshot will combo with other supers exceptionally, as it helps keep enemies in one place and disables their abilities, leaving the door open for your Titan, Warlock or fellow Hunter friends to put their more damage-oriented supers to good use. Try and use the fact that you have several arrows to your advantage by spreading out your tethers and maximizing coverage. When you're fighting a boss or other tough foe, make sure to land all your arrows into them, as tethered enemies take bonus damage from more arrows.

Lastly, if there are several tethered enemies, but your team needs some help in the damage department, the grenade launcher heavy weapon is fantastic for blasting chunks of hitpoints out of groups of enemies.

Tips and tricks

We're going to round this guide out with five tips and tricks that will help every Hunter find success.

• Never stand still. - This is extremely important, regardless which subclass of Hunter you are. Standing still increases the chances of the enemy mobs whittling down your small health pool and killing you. Always be on the move!
• Aim carefully. - You're missing out on a lot of the Hunter's bonuses if you have poor accuracy and don't hit weak spots much. Careful aim will yield devastating results; sloppy aim will possibly result in your death.
• Use cover whenever you can. - While dodges are very helpful and reliable, there are times where there are simply too many bullets to avoid. Knowing when to fall into cover (either natural or a friendly Titan barrier) is an essential skill that will save your life.
• Make good use of sliding. - Sliding can be a strong way to avoid damage when your dodge is on cooldown and there's no nearby cover available. It significantly reduces your vertical hitbox, so don't be afraid to get those legs dirty.
• Never get cocky. - While it may be easy to think that you're invincible because of how well you can dodge or mitigate damage (this can be the case with Arcstrider especially) one mistake can mean the end for you. Always try and remember to back off and recharge your shields if the fight starts to get hairy. Don't risk it.

Destiny 2 is available now on Xbox One and PS4 for $59.99

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You can't have an engaging presentation without an artist's touch. Imagery is not only eye candy for your audience, it's another way for them to learn and understand.

How often have you heard that a picture is worth a thousand words? That well-known quote could very well be true for a report or presentation. Visual aids may even have more of an impact than text alone. Here's how you can add supporting multimedia to PowerPoint presos and create images of your own.

• How to draw on presentations
• How to draw shapes
• How to add images in PowerPoint
• How to group pictures and shapes

PowerPoint and Office 365 provide a few ways to add images and graphics to your files. These include shapes, clip art, and images stored locally or in the cloud. You have the freedom to set the location, size, and dimensions of most content while also applying color and effects to make them stand out. Let's take a look at adding images, creating your own, and applying effects to them.

Drawing on PowerPoint presentations

How to draw on a slide during a presentation

To draw on a PowerPoint slide:

1. Click on the Slide Show tab in the navigation ribbon.
2. Click From Beginning in the Start Slide Show group to begin your presentation.
3. Choose which slide that you want to write or draw on.
4. Select Pointer Options from the list.
5. Select a color from the Ink Color option.
6. Choose between Pen or Highlighter.
7. Left-click and move your mouse to draw on the slide.

How to erase a drawing

To erase what you have drawn:

1. Select the Slide Show with your drawing.
2. Right-click on the slide.
3. Click on Pointer Options.
4. Select Eraser.
5. Click on each drawing or line to delete it.
6. Select Erase All Ink on Slide to remove all drawings.

How to deactivate a PowerPoint drawing tool

To deactivate the drawing tool:

1. Right-click on the slide.
2. Select Pointer Options in the list.
3. Select Arrow to return to slide navigation.

Drawing shapes

How to add a predetermined shape

To add a preset shape:

1. Select a slide to add a shape.
2. Click on the Insert Tab in the navigation ribbon.
3. Select Shapes from the Illustrations group.
4. Select a shape or option from one of the 10 categories
5. Click on any point on the slide to add the shape to your cursor location.
6. Click on any of the basic edit points to resize the shape or invert the shape.
7. Click on the rotate icon to change its direction.

How to add a freeform shape with straight and curved segments

To add a freeform shape:

1. Click the Insert tab in the ribbon.
2. Navigate to the Illustrations group.
3. Select Shapes.
4. Choose the Freeform option from the Lines category.
5. Click on the slide show to create a starting point.
6. Click on another section of the slide to create another point. (A line will appear between them.)
7. Click and hold while moving the mouse to create curved lines in a hand-drawn style.
8. Click near the first point to finish with a closed shape.
9. Double click at any moment to finish with an opened shape.

You can also choose to draw freehand, as though you were using a pen. If Scribble has been selected, left-click and hold on any point of the slide and move the mouse to draw freehand.

How to edit points of a shape

While the preset shapes provided can be used in most situations, you may find that they would better suit the slide if you tweak its shape.

To edit the points of the shape:

1. Select a shape on the slide.
2. Select the Format tab in the ribbon.
3. Select Edit Shape from the Insert Shapes group.
4. Select Edit Points.
5. Click and drag the highlighted connection points between lines to alter the path of the lines.
6. Click the shape outline while pressing CTRL to add another movable connection point.
7. Right-click on any connection point to delete it.

When you right-click on any connection point, you are given access to other options that help you modify your shape. You can transform the connection points to one of the following:

• Straight point — This connection point joins two line segments without a corner.
• Smooth point — This connection point joins also joins two line segments in a non-sharp corner.
• Corner point — This connection point joins two segments in a sharp corner shape.

With time, patience and effort, you could create unique, detailed art without having to use a preset shape.

How to add images in PowerPoint

Photos and images are often a nice touch in a presentation. They generate a sense of connection and familiarity that draw an audience in.

How to add a picture

To add pictures in PowerPoint:

1. Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon
2. Click Pictures from the Images group.
3. Locate the picture you want to add in the dialog box.
4. Select the picture.
5. Click Insert.
6. Click on endpoints to resize the image.
7. Click on Picture Styles under the generated Format tab to choose a frame option.

How to adjust the colors on Pictures

To adjust the color of a picture:

1. Add a color effect.
2. Click on a picture.
3. Click on the Picture Tools - Format tab.
4. Select Color from the Adjust group.
5. Browse through options from the dropdown list. Effects are grouped by Saturation, Tone or Recolor categories.
6. Click on an effect to apply to the image.

How to add an artistic effect

To add an artistic effect:

1. Ensure the picture has been selected.
2. Select the Picture Tools – Format tab in the ribbon.
3. Select Artistic Effects from the Adjust group.
4. Browse through the effects. (Live Preview will provide a sample of the results of an effect.)
5. Click on the chosen effect to apply to the picture.

How to add additional effects to shapes and images

How to fill a shape in PowerPoint

To fill a shape:

1. Select the shape or picture on the slide.
2. Click on the Drawing-Tools tab.
3. Navigate to the Shape Styles group.
4. Click Shape Fill to open the drop-down.
5. Select a fill color.
6. Select a gradient effect.
7. Select a texture.

Each style option also offers a greater selection of fill colors, gradients and textures, which opens up a Format Shape box on the right side of the window. Here you can access transparency settings and quick style selections.

How to add shape and picture effects

In the Shape Styles group of the Format tab, you will see the option to add a Shape Effect. These effects provide a measure of depth to both shapes and images. There are seven categories to choose from; Preset, Shadow, Reflection, Glow, Soft Edges, Bevel, and 3-D Rotation.

How to modify shape and picture effects

To modify effects:

1. Select the Format tab from the ribbon.
2. Select Shape Effects from the ribbon. (If using a picture, this will be called Picture Effects.)
3. Select a category from the drop-down list.
4. Click 3-D Options at the bottom of the secondary list.
5. Locate the Format Shape/Format Picture pane on the right side of the window.
6. Choose values for each section the list.

The formatting pane allows you to change a multitude of effects. You can change the distance, angle or transparency of shadows, change the lighting source or even blur reflections. The same effects are available for pictures you have also added.

How to group pictures and shapes

To apply a grouping:

1. Click on the slide that contains the images and shapes you wish to group.
2. Press and hold CTRL as you click on the images and shapes.
3. Click on the Drawing Tools - Format Tab in the ribbon.
4. Click Arrange under the Drawing group.
5. Select Group from the dropdown list.

You can ungroup your images by clicking on Arrange in the Drawing group and then selecting Ungroup. If you have changed your mind, or mistakenly ungrouped the images or shapes, the Arrange command also provides a regroup option.

Wrapping up

These are the basics to get you started on your new career as a PowerPoint artist. Do you already add shapes and images to your slides? What is the most creative graphic that you created in PowerPoint? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft Office 101: Help, how-tos and tutorials

You can stop Windows 10 apps from running in the background to save battery, bandwidth, and some system resources. In this guide, we show you how.

On Windows 10, apps you install using the Store have been designed to run in the background to take advantage of the OS features, including the ability to download data, show toast notifications, and fetch information to display up-to-date updates in their Live tiles in the Start menu.

The issue is that these apps are always running in the background, even if you didn't open them, and that will drain battery, bandwidth, and system resources. However, Windows 10 includes a few options to take control of the apps that run in the background using the Settings app.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to stop apps you install from the Store from running in the background, wasting resources on your device.

• How to stop apps from running in the background using Settings
• How to stop apps from running in the background using Battery Saver mode

How to stop Windows apps from running in the background using Settings

To prevent apps from running in the background use the following steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on Privacy.
3. Click on Background apps.

4. On the "Background apps" page use one of the two options:

   • Turn off the Let apps run in the background toggle switch to disable all apps acquired from the Store.
   • Turn off the toggle switches for the specific apps you don't want to run in the background.

Once you complete these steps, the Windows 10 apps you configured will no longer run in the background, and it'll help to conserve power.

How to stop apps from running in the background using Battery Saver

Alternatively, if you're running Windows 10 on a laptop, you can also turn on Battery Saver mode, which also blocks apps from running in the background. This feature activates automatically when the battery charge drops below 20 percent, but it's also possible to enable the mode manually if the device isn't plugged into a power source.

To enable Windows 10 Battery Saver mode use the following steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Click on System.
3. Click on Battery.

4. Under "Battery saver," turn on the Battery saver status until next charge toggle switch.

Another way to activate battery mode includes clicking the battery icon in the notification area and clicking the Battery saver button.

It should be noted that these settings only apply to apps you installed using the Windows Store, and traditional (Win32) apps cannot be controlled with these settings.

In the case you're running traditional desktop apps, the only way to make sure they're not running in the background is by closing them manually and making sure they don't run at startup.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, 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 to look for when choosing your PCs optical drive. Keep reading.

Whether you're building your own PC, buying one or just looking for an external addition, it's important to make sure you get the right optical drive for your needs. There are three formats to take into consideration: Blu-ray, DVD and CD.

The choice may sound straightforward, but there's a little bit of thinking to do first.

Go Blu-ray if you can

The downside to going for a Blu-ray drive is cost. They're significantly more expensive than drives that don't support the format. There's a good reason for it (quality), but it'll always leave you spending a bit more.

That's the only negative. If you can get a Blu-ray drive, then you definitely should, whether it is built into your pre-built PC or you're putting your own internal or external drive into your setup.

Blu-ray drives will almost always be backward compatible with DVDs and CDs. That means one drive to play everything. Forward compatibility isn't a thing so if you get a drive that only plays DVDs and CDs, you're stuck with those. No Blu-ray for you.

If you don't ever watch Blu-ray movies, you might not need it. If the extra cost isn't a problem, it's never a bad thing to be prepared for the future.

More: Best external Blu-Ray drives for PC

Check your writing

If you ever write or "burn" data to CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray discs, you'll need to ensure you get a drive that can do this.

Don't just see the item listing in a store like Amazon mention writing and assume it does what you need. Some will read Blu-ray discs but will only write to DVDs and CDs.

You'll (almost) always need some software

Some drives may come bundled with an app to view content from your discs. Most of the time, they will not.

If you're simply reading data files from the discs, you'll only need File Explorer in Windows 10. You can get to the files as you would any other internal or external hard drive.

Listening to music from CDs is easy, and apps like Windows Media Player that are built in that will do this. DVDs and Blu-rays require a little more effort on your part.

Fortunately, we've got guides that cover you in both instances.

How to watch DVDs on Windows 10

How to watch Blu-Ray discs on Windows 10

How do you get the most battery life from your Windows 10 PC? Check out these tips and tricks.

Other than the usual, quick methods of getting a bit more battery life from your PC— turning down the volume, lowering the brightness of your display, and unplugging any peripherals — there are a few tricks you can implement that will get you some extra time before you have to look for an outlet.

• Enable and configure battery saver mode
• Set your display to turn off when not in use
• Optimize your battery for video playback
• Change or create your own power plan
• Underclock your processor
• Set which apps are allowed to run on battery power
• Disable wireless communication

Enable and configure battery saver mode

Windows 10 has a built-in battery saver tool that can help you get a few more minutes out of your battery. You can enable the battery saver through the Windows 10 Action Center:

1. Click the Action Center button in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

2. Click Battery saver.

   • Repeat these steps to disable battery saver.

The battery saver tool can be configured to your liking. Here's how:

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Click Settings.

3. Click System.

4. Click Battery.

5. Click and drag the slider in the Battery saver section to adjust how soon battery saver turns on.

6. Click the switch beneath Battery saver status until next charge to turn battery saver on until you plug in your laptop.

7. Click the checkbox next to Lower screen brightness while in battery saver to toggle the screen brightness when battery saver is enabled.

Set your display to turn off when not in use

Windows 10 can be configured to turn off your display when the PC is not in use for a set amount of time. You can also set it to cut network connections when asleep and on battery power. This will keep your battery going in the long run. Here's how to make those changes:

1. Right-click the Start button.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click System.

4. Click Power & sleep.

5. Click the first dropdown menu in the Screen section.

6. Click a time option. (In this case, we choose 2 minutes.)

7. Click the first dropdown menu in the Sleep section.

8. Click a time option. (In this case, we choose 5 minutes.)

9. Click the dropdown menu in the Network connection section.

10. Click Always.

Optimize your battery for video playback

If you're trying desperately to see how your movie ends and you see the battery draining away quickly, you can change some settings that will optimize battery life for watching videos. Here's how:

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Click Settings.

3. Click Apps.

4. Click Video playback.

5. Click the dropdown menu in the Battery Options section.

6. Click Optimize for battery life.

7. Click the checkbox next to Allow video to play at a lower resolution when on battery.

Change or create your own power plan

Windows 10 has several default power plans to choose from, including one that saves battery. If that isn't enough, you can create your own:

1. Right-click the Start button.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click System.

4. Click Power & sleep.

5. Click Additional power settings in the Related settings section.

6. Click a power plan.

If the default power plans don't cut it, you can create your own:

1. Click Create a power plan.

2. Type a name for the power plan.

3. Click Next. (You will now be able to tweak settings to your preference.)

4. Click Create.

Underclock your processor

Underclocking your processor (CPU) is an effective way of saving a significant amount of power, as long as you don't mind performance also taking a hit. Depending on your system, you can either lower the Thermal Design Point (TDP) through the Intel Thermal Framework settings, or simply underclock the CPU through Processor Power Management. Let's start with the former method.

The TDP of your CPU is essentially a measurement of the maximum temperature your CPU can reach when running everyday apps. This can be applied to any power plan, but we will adjust the plan we created in the previous section:

1. Right-click the Start button.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click System.

4. Click Power & sleep.

5. Click Additional power settings in the Related settings section.

6. Click Change plan settings.

7. Click Change advanced power settings.

8. Click the expand button (it looks like a +) beside Intel(R) Dynamic Platform and Thermal Framework Settings.

9. Click the expand button (it looks like a +) beside Config TDP Level.

10. Click On Battery.

11. Click the dropdown arrow next to High TDP.

12. Click Low TDP.

13. Click Apply.

14. Click OK.

If you don't see the Intel Dynamic Platform option in your laptop's power options, you can still underclock the CPU. Here's how:

1. Right-click the Start button.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click System.

4. Click Power & sleep.

5. Click Additional power settings in the Related settings section.

6. Click Change plan settings next to the power plan.

7. Click Change advanced power settings.

8. Click the expand button (it looks like a +) next to Processor power management.

9. Click the expand button (it looks like a +) next to Maximum processor state.

10. Click On battery.

11. Adjust the percentage to a level you'd like. (In our case, we changed it to 50 percent.)

12. Click Apply.

Choose which apps can run on battery power

If there are apps that you seldom use when on battery power, you can prohibit them from running in the background when your PC isn't plugged in. Just follow these steps:

1. Right-click the Start button.

2. Click Settings.

3. Click System.

4. Click Battery.

5. Click Battery usage by app.

6. Click an app.

7. Click the checkbox next to Let Windows decide… so that it's unchecked.

8. Ensure the checkbox next to Reduce the work the app… is checked.

Disable wireless communication

This tip is for when don't need Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and want to eke a few extra minutes from your battery, whether to jot down a few more words or finish up a suspenseful movie that you've downloaded onto your hard drive.

The easiest way to disable all wireless communication is to enable airplane mode. This is done either through the Action Center or through the regular Windows 10 settings:

1. Click the Action Center button in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

2. Click Airplane mode. Repeat these steps to disable airplane mode.

To achieve the same result through normal Windows 10 settings, follow these steps. From the following menu, you can also individually disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth:

1. Right-click the Start button.
2. Click Settings.

3. Click Network & Internet.

4. Click Airplane mode.

5. Click the switch below Airplane mode. Repeat the steps to disable airplane mode.

Do you have Windows battery tips to share?

Did we miss an obvious battery-saving tip? Be sure to let us know in the comments. Your fellow readers will appreciate the help! Also, be sure to check out our picks for the laptops with the absolute best battery life. Need a battery backup? We also put together a list of the best options.

• See the laptops with the best battery life
• Should you buy a UPS battery backup for your PC?
• Best UPS backup batteries for your PC

Upgrading your graphics card (GPU) is mostly a simple process, but there's still a process to follow.

It's an exciting time getting a new graphics card for your PC. Whether you've been hanging on to the same one for years, or you're a fan of the bleeding edge, it's something that always brings new life to your gaming.

Getting a newer, more powerful graphics card means better performance in the latest games, and in some cases, it increases the resolution you can play at. Once you've got your new card, making the switch is fairly straightforward but there are some things you need to make sure you do.

More: The best graphics cards for gamers

Remove the old drivers

Even if you're going from NVIDIA to NVIDIA, or AMD to AMD, you still need to sort out the drivers. If you don't, you'll most likely have a bad time. trust me, I speak from experience. (Yes, I forgot to do this during an upgrade.) This will remove the drivers for your current card, so you'll also want to make sure you hook up your monitor to the onboard display output for your PC. This way you'll be able to see what you're doing.

Here's how to do it:

1. In the Cortana search bar type device manager to go there quickest.
2. Select display adapters.

3. Right click on your current graphics card.

4. Select uninstall device.

Install the new card

Installing a new graphics card inside your PC is easy, whether you're going inside a pre-built machine or a custom creation. If you built your own PC, you'll already be familiar enough.

What you will need to make sure of is that you have the necessary power connector for your new card. For the sake of this guide, we're going to assume you already have a big enough power supply. But you may still need a different connector.

For example, my old GTX 1070 used an eight-pin connector, whereas my new GTX 1080 Ti uses an eight-pin and a six-pin. Your power supply may already have the additional connector attached if it's non-modular. If it's a modular power supply you might need to go back into the box and find another cable.

It's then a simple matter of slotting the graphics card into the now vacant PCIe slot and connecting the power.

Getting new drivers

To use your new graphics card, you need new drivers. The only thing that differs is where you go to get them. You'll also still need to make sure you're connected to your onboard display output for this, not one of those coming from the graphics card.

• To download the latest NVIDIA drivers click here.
• To download the latest AMD driver click here.

Installing the drivers is no more difficult than installing any other program on your PC. They'll be packaged up into an executable that you just open, follow the on-screen directions, and let it do its thing.

These driver packages will also install either the NVIDIA Geforce Experience or AMD Crimson applications on your PC. You can use them or not, but they're not necessary to use the graphics card. Both apps are, however, an easy way to make sure you always have the latest drivers for your card.

That's it. When you fire up your PC, your new graphics card should be off and running for all the gaming you can handle.

More: The Windows Central ultimate PC build guide

Following the fall Xbox update, here's how to enable 1080p Game DVR gameplay capture on any Xbox One console.

Microsoft recently announced that Game DVR, the Xbox One's inbuilt gameplay capture application, will be seeing improvements later this year in a major system update. Following the update, all Xbox One consoles have the option to record at 1080p resolution, meaning a significant bump in clarity can be expected from all future recordings. This offers a significant step up over the previous limitation imposed on Game DVR, which capped gameplay at 720p at 30 frames per second (FPS).

This joins a wide range of features currently in the works for the console, including a visual overhaul of the Xbox dashboard themed around the Fluent Design System, a reworked modular Home menu and other changes to the user interface. For those enrolled in the Alpha ring of the Xbox Insider Program, the improved GameDVR functionality is now available to testing, although you'll need to manually enable support for 1080p capture.

How to record Xbox One Game DVR clips to an external drive

How to enable 1080p Game DVR capture on Xbox One

To record game clips in higher resolution, you'll need to navigate to the Settings app of your console and manually enable the feature. By doing so, it also reduces how long temporarily recorded footage is saved from five minutes, down to two.

1. Press the Xbox button to open the Guide.
2. Scroll across to the System tab.
3. Select All settings.
4. Scroll down to the Preferences tab.
5. Choose Broadcast & capture.
6. Navigate to Game clip resolution.
7. Select 1080p SDR.

After enabling this option, all footage captured via Game DVR going forward will be recorded at 1080p resolution. To reduce the quality, navigate back into the Settings using the previous steps and select the "720p SDR" option.

Microsoft's upcoming Xbox One X console will also gain access to exclusive Game DVR enhancements, with support for 4K resolution, 60 FPS and HDR recordings. Once the console launches, options to configure the console's recording options will assumedly be found under this menu too.

Have you been testing 1080p Game DVR on Xbox One yet? Or are you holding out for the public release this fall? Let us know in the comments section.

As a part of the Xbox One fall update, using an external drive allows you to capture, store and edit Game DVR clips with ease.

The next Xbox One update is currently brewing and while still some time away from a public release, we're already getting a sense for the major features hitting the console. Although the biggest focus of the fall update focuses on redesigning the Xbox One user interface (UI) with fluidity and speed in mind, a range of new additions is also being introduced across console's entire feature set.

One of the biggest of these affects the console's inbuilt game capture application, Game DVR, with support introduced for external drives. Following the update, select external drives can be used to store game clips, while saving space internally on your console. We've broken down the steps required to record to external storage, alongside the benefits it offers.

How to enable 1080p Game DVR recording on Xbox One

How to record Game DVR clips to external storage

To start recording Game DVR footage to an external drive, you'll first need to find a suitable storage solution. While you may already have a drive formatted specifically for game and apps, Game DVR clips require storage designated for media, meaning you'll need a drive not associated with Xbox One game data. USB 3.0 is required, but it appears that Game DVR doesn't follow the exact same hardware restrictions as game installations, meaning those smaller than 256 GB can be used.

1. Format your chosen external drive to NTFS.
2. Connect an external drive to a vacant USB port on your Xbox One.
3. Select Use for media if prompted with the choice.

After inserting a drive and configuring it for media use on Xbox One, navigate to the console's Setting app, where a switch can be made from internal to external recording. Not only will this save space on your console's internal drive – doing so increases the maximum duration of a recording to one hour.

1. Press the Xbox button to open the Guide.
2. Scroll across to the System tab.
3. Select All settings.
4. Scroll down to the Preferences tab.
5. Choose Broadcast & capture.
6. Navigate to Capture location.
7. Select External.

By switching to an external drive, this also opens up a new use for Game DVR, which was previously unachievable via internal storage. After recording clips, your external drive can now be plugged into a PC, where the traditional video files can be extracted. This essentially turns your console into a simple capture card, allowing recordings to be locally transferred for use in PC-based editing software. All files created by Game DVR can be found under the "Game DVR" folder automatically created on your drive.

Have you tried out Game DVR with an external drive yet? How does it compare to a traditional setup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

How to choose and use an external hard drive for your Xbox One

The complete guide on how to git gud at PUBG.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) has taken the gaming world by storm, climbing to the top of Steam's concurrent PC player list, beating out the juggernaut that is Dota 2. With PUBG headed to Xbox, it's only going to get more popular.

Why is it so popular? That's a hard question to answer, but it likely has something to do with the generally accessible exterior that hides a deep set of content. PUBG is designed to foster many playstyles, and so many gamers, whether first-person shooter fans, survivalist fans, or just fans of looting, can find something to like.

Regardless of your preferred playstylecov, there are some concrete tips and tricks that can help you survive not only to a top-ten placement, but might get you a coveted chicken dinner. Let's take a look at those tips and tricks in this ultimate guide.

See at GreenManGaming (PC)

Your first moves outside of the plane

When the game starts, you'll find yourself in an airplane flying high over the island. If you look at your map, you'll be able to see the exact direction of the plane, and you can get a pretty good idea of where people will be going to loot. Military bases and towns are the most popular because they have great loot and often have vehicles, but they're also the deadliest because of the high concentration of players. To jump out of the plane in a specific direction, tap W once in the direction, then hold W before tapping F to leave.

Once you have an idea of the flight path, you have three options. You can fall straight down and land as quickly as possible in the hopes that you'll grab a weapon first. Listen for other players landing near you and try to pick them off before they have a chance to gear up. If you need to move quietly, hold Ctrl. You'll go slower, but your footsteps won't be as loud.

If you're landing as quickly as possible, you might want to grab a vehicle rather than a weapon. Once in a vehicle, drive in a direction perpendicular to the flight path. There will be way fewer people around, and you'll be able to loot mostly in peace. Be sure to leave yourself enough time to get back into a good spot for dealing with the circle and wall of death.

A final option is to jump out of the plane, pull your parachute as soon as possible, and float far from the flight path. You'll often arrive before any players in vehicles, and you'll avoid any chance of missing out on jumping into a driver's seat.

Only use a vehicle at the start of a round

Vehicles are a great way to get around the map at the start of the game. You'll often drop into an area that's quite far from the safe circle and will need one to escape the wall of death, or you'll take one off the beaten path for some safe looting. Most people are so preoccupied with gearing up at the start of a match that they won't pay any attention to the noise of a car driving by.

Later on, however, when the circle is small, and there are only a few of you left, a vehicle is basically an alarm telling everyone exactly where you are. In most cases, you'll want to ditch your vehicle after the first couple of circles and go the rest on foot. You're much less likely to be shot when you're silent. As always, there are exceptions, and we've seen some hilarious situations where a player takes a car into a top-five situation to wreak some vehicular mayhem.

While using a vehicle — whether a car, SUV, or motorcycle — be careful! Vehicles act strangely at best, and you might find yourself shot into the air or exploding against a small outcropping of rocks. Stick to open areas unless being shot at, and use boost sparingly to preserve the gas in your tank.

Be smart while looting

Looting the person you just killed is often necessary at the start of a round. They might have that ACOG scope you're looking for, or they might have a better vest or backpack. Looting at the outset is fine, but in an end-game scenario, it is almost always unnecessary. By the time 10 or fewer players are remaining, you should already have the gear needed to win. You generally want at least Tier 2 armor, a short-range weapon, a long-range weapon, and first-aid kits and stimulants.

If you shoot a player on a mountainside because they were silly enough to run down blindly, don't make the same mistake and loot their gear. Some other player might be watching, and in that case, you'll end up in the same position as the person you laughed at moments earlier. If you down someone who was hiding in a bathroom, though, you're probably safe to have a look through their stuff.

While looting, especially when out in the open, you should always keep moving. Tap the A and D keys to make micro movements, effectively making it harder for snipers to land a headshot. If you've been spotted while looting, it's better to move around rather than to go prone.

Be aware of your surroundings

By default, you can hit Alt on your keyboard and move your mouse around to get a view of your surroundings without changing your direction. This is especially important when running through open areas. You don't want to waste time in getting to your destination, but you also don't want to ignore the hills on either side of you or the house behind you. Get used to holding Alt while running or even while stationary and you'll have a much better chance of spotting enemies before they spot you. While running across open areas, you can hit X to holster your weapon, allowing you to run faster.

On this note, rather than going prone while hiding in a bush, simply crouch down. Using the Alt key when prone will often cause your player's body to move around when you release it, making you visible to other players. There isn't as much movement when crouched and you'll have a much easier time staying hidden.

If you happen to see other players in the distance, do not fire unless you're sure you can land the shots. If you can't, you'll only alert other players to your location. This rule changes if you or a teammate has a silencer equipped. Let the silencer fire first (or only) to keep a low profile.

How to deal with a firefight

Jumping into a firefight? It's never a bad idea to take your energy drinks and painkillers, as long as time allows. This also applies to a top-five situation. Not only will these items restore the last bit of health that first-aid kits and bandages can't touch, they'll also provide a boost. The boost bar is located above your health bar. The first section lands you slow healing, the second second grants you increased healing, the third section provides even faster healing and a movement bonus, and the final section provides faster healing and faster movement bonus.

If you're fighting in an urban area, watch for open doors; there might be an enemy inside. If you have to open a door, be sure to quickly move to the left after opening so that you don't get blasted by an enemy camping behind it.

In a team fight, any players you knock out can be ignored. They're no longer dangerous, and, although you'd be awarded with a kill if you finished them off, ignoring teammates is dangerous. Focus on killing the entire enemy team and you'll get the kills anyway.

You'll no doubt take some damage in a firefight. If you have the time, bandages can be used to get back a bit of quick health. They only take four seconds to be applied, and can mean the difference between absorbing another bullet and being eliminated completely. Bandages take four seconds to apply, first-aid kits take seven seconds, and medkits take 10 seconds.

How to deal with the deadly circle

There are basically two main strategies when it comes to dealing with the deadly circle. You can stick to the outside and move in with the circle, as this mostly prevents anyone from shooting you in the back. Unfortunately, it can also lead to you getting caught outside the circle and watching your health drain away as you chase the safe boundary. At the start of the match, painkillers and energy drinks can be used to negate the effects of the circle, as it's quite harmless. As the match drags on, however, the circle will begin removing large chunks of health.

The other option is to stick near the center of the increasingly smaller circles. This strategy works better if you already have all the gear you need for an end-game scenario; you can pick a position inside a house or other fortified area and hold out against enemies, only moving when absolutely necessary. This is a popular strategy for squads, but you run the risk of seeing far more enemies than if you were on the edges of the circle.

What you don't want to do is choose one strategy and switch mid-game. Running in the open is the last thing you want to do. Decide on a strategy near the start depending on your initial jump position and play smart.

More awesome tips

• All healing (aside from the medkit) will only take you up to 75 percent health. Beyond that, you'll need to use painkillers and energy drinks.
• pubgmap.io is a great place to study key locations.
• Do not go prone when under fire.
• You have map markers for a reason. Use them!
• Ctrl + T will mute voice chat. This can be handy, but remember to re-enable it in-game to catch those who forget to switch voice to "team only".
• Hitting Q and E will allow you to lean around corners to see if any enemies are attempting to make a move.
• Submerge yourself in water by hitting C.
• Move to the driver seat in a car quickly by hitting Ctrl + 1. Use ascending number to get into other seats.
• Space + C allows for a slightly higher jump.
• Never focus on a location or enemies for too long. Keep track of any movement in other directions, so you don't get jumped on.
• Grass may look like it provides concealment. It does, but only for a certain distance. Those some way away will just see you prone as the foilage stops being rendered by your opponent's computers.
• Should you come under fire when at sea, simply dive to avoid incoming metal.
• Hitting B will alter the firing mode.
• Holding Shift while aiming will use breath to more accurately aim.
• Hitting V will switch between first- and third-person view.
• Don't be that guy who picks up a shotgun and hides in the toilet. You won't learn the game. Dying is OK. There are always more rounds.

Many other helpful hints will make it much easier to get into a top 10 situation. Have your own tips to share? Sound off in the comments!

See at GreenManGaming (PC)

Everyone's favorite Exotic-wielding vendor, Xûr, Agent of the Nine, has made his return in Destiny 2. Here's how to find him.

Xûr, Agent of the Nine, was one of the most mysterious characters in the first Destiny game, and despite little information surfacing on his background, he's emerged as one of the most iconic in the franchise history. This elusive vendor served as the one-stop shop for guaranteed Exotic items, however, he had an enigmatic twist to his whereabouts.

In Destiny 2, Xûr has made a return, delivering a new wave of gear to eager guardians. Furthermore, information on how the merchant will function in Destiny 2 has surfaced, with some notable changes for returning players.

See at AmazonSee at Xbox Store

Who is Xûr, Agent of the Nine?

Xûr is a mysterious vendor is Destiny 2, providing access to Exotic weapons, armor, and various consumable items, in exchange for a specific currency. While Exotic engrams are a way of securing random drops of high-value loot, Xûr provides a shortcut to specific items, provided they're being stocked.

What makes Xûr unique are his dynamic characteristics, with a temporary appearance every week, in a randomized location. This means that every weekend, Xûr and his inventory will only be accessible for a limited period, in an undisclosed location within Destiny 2's world. To access his goods, you need to track down exactly where he's situated this week, although the location can usually be found pretty easily once eager players post details online.

Xûr also sports a dynamic inventory, with an ever-changing selection of goods to choose from every week. In the first Destiny, Xûr always offered a piece of Exotic gear for each class and a single Exotic weapon, and a similar offering can be expected for its predecessor. Due to his cycling stock of goods, it's recommended dedicated players check back weekly, in case Xûr is stocking an item you're aiming to unlock.

How can you find Xûr in Destiny 2?

Unlike the original Destiny, where vendors appeared exclusively in social spaces, Destiny 2 has begun to spread its vendors across multiple planets. Xûr is among the vendors no longer situated in social spaces, meaning the strange merchant can appear in any four of the game's regions – Earth, Titan, Nessus, and Io. Xûr will now spawn in a planet's Public Sector, located nearby an existing merchant. Xûr appears at 5 a.m. ET / 2 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. UK time on a Friday, before disappearing exactly 48 hours later on Sunday morning.

How do you purchase Exotics from Xûr?

Another major change to Xûr in Destiny 2 is his accepted currency, in a move away from Strange Coins and Motes of Light. Instead, Xûr now provides items in exchange for Legendary Shards, a new premium currency introduced in the sequel.

For now, there are two known ways of securing Legendary Shards. One of the easiest ways of securing them is by dismantling both Legendary and Exotic gear, which provides a guaranteed drop every time. Legendary Shards can also be earned through Faction engrams, however, being randomized drops, this isn't a reliable technique. Pricing for Exotic items is also yet to be confirmed, but due to the nature of Xûr, don't expect this gear to come easy.

Where is Xûr this week? (September 15, 2017)

Xûr has finally made his first appearance in Destiny 2 and as expected, has brought one Exotic weapon and three pieces of Exotic armor. However, in a somewhat surprising move, Xûr is visible on the world map, as a trackable vendor. This makes Xûr relatively easy to find, even without searching for guides beforehand.

To access Xûr's inventory this week, simply log into Destiny 2 and navigate to "Watchers Grave" on Nessus. The mysterious seller can be found hidden in a tree toward the north of the map.

Inside this week's inventory, players have the opportunity to secure the following items. Outside of the four Exotics, no other additional items are available for purchase.

• Mericless: Exotic Fusion Rifle (Solar) – 29 Shards
• Raiden Flux: Exotic Chest Armor (Hunter) – 23 Shards
• Doom Fang Pauldron: Exotic Gauntlets (Titan) – 23 Shards
• Wings of Sacred Dawn: Exotic Chest Armor (Warlock) – 23 Shards

Have you picked up any items from Xûr this week? If so, make sure to let us know in the comments.

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Updated September 15, 2017: Added details on Xûr's first arrival in Destiny 2, on Nessus.

In the Xbox 1710 update, new content blocks will make themselves available to users everywhere.

Expected to arrive around October 2017, the 1710 update will add a new home screen layout, Fluent Design elements, and much more. One of the more compelling feature additions is the new content blocks, which allow you to fully customize the area below the main home screen.

Content blocks include things like your pinned apps and games, larger sections to showcase specific games and trending content, and also some other Xbox features, such as friends and Xbox deals. But how do you add them?

Let's look through the ways you can add content blocks to your Xbox's home screen, currently available on the Xbox Insider Program.

What exactly are content blocks?

Content blocks are essentially home screen sections you can add at will, providing rich information and trending content about the subject pinned. If you pin a friend, you can see how their achievements stack up against yours. If you pin a game, you can see trending clips, streams, and posts from the title's game hub. You can also add a block for your pins, and even deals from Xbox Live.

Adding a friend as a content block

Adding a friend as a content block will provide a shortcut to inviting them to parties, allow you to compare achievements, and see their most recent updates. Adding them as a content block is particularly useful if, like me, your friends frequently hide offline, making it a little difficult to invite them into parties. Here's how to add a friend as a content block.

1. Open the guide menu using the Xbox button on your controller.
2. Navigate left to the People section.

3. Select Friends with the "A" button.

4. Use the joystick to find the friend you want to add as a content block and select them with the "A" button.
5. In the profile page, select Add to home using the "A" button.

6. The new friend content block will appear at the bottom of the home screen.

Adding a game as a content block

If you add a game as a content block, you can view trending clips, updates from the developer, and suggested achievements too. It also provides a shortcut for booting the game if you're not planning to use the pins content block. Here's how to add them.

1. Open the Guide menu using the Xbox button on your controller.
2. Navigate down to My Games & Apps below the main home button.
3. Find the game you want to include, and press the "Start" button on your controller (the button that has three lines).

4. Select Add to Home.

5. The new game content block will appear at the bottom of the home screen.

Adding and removing pins as a content block

The pins content block behaves a little differently to the others. You can still manage its position, as detailed below, but customizing the pins within the block requires a different menu. Here's how to manage your pins block.

1. To add or remove the pins block, open the Guide using the Xbox button on your controller.

2. Navigate down to the pins menu below the main home button.

3. Move the cursor down and select Remove or Add pins to home with the "A" button.

4. You can move pins around by pressing the "Y" button, or unpin them completely by pressing the "Start" button.

5. You can add pins for apps and games via the "My Games & Apps" accessible from the Guide. See here for more information on how to do that.

Managing content blocks

Managing a content block is easy. All you need is an Xbox controller, and the will to take control of your home screen.

1. Navigate downwards using the joystick.

2. Select the content block you wish to edit, and press "Y."

3. Now you're in edit mode, you can move the content block up and down with the joystick, or delete it entirely using the "X" button.
4. When you're done, hit "A" to confirm or "B" to cancel.

The future

These are the main ways you can use content blocks right now, but Xbox Platform CVP Mike Ybarra recently teased concepts for apps to be content blocks, allowing you to view things like recent tweets and so on. There's certainly a lot of potential for the feature, particularly since the Xbox One doesn't support Windows 10's live tiles for information-at-a-glance.

As usual, keep it locked to Windows Central for all things Xbox.

More: Xbox Help and How To

Don't let these brutish bosses bust your butt!

Killing Floor 2, the stellar co-op horde shooter, features two terrifying bosses for teams to take down. If you're not careful, either one of them will wipe out your whole squad in moments. Don't worry, though – this guide gives you the intel needed to emerge victoriously!

See on the Xbox StoreSee at GameStop

General boss tips

At present, Killing Floor 2 offers 15 distinct maps for solo and co-op players to take on in survival mode. After clearing all normal waves of enemies, the team must face an unnumbered boss wave. Be sure to fully restock ammo, armor, grenades, and weapons before the boss wave starts – you won't get another chance to use the shop.

One important tip, as outlined in our Killing Floor 2 beginner's guide, is to buy a healing pistol. The HMTech-101 pistol (found under the field medic tab) only takes up one inventory space, and it only costs 200 dosh. Buy one, and you can use its alternate fire to heal friends from a distance. If everyone on the team carries a healing pistol, you can heal each other after the boss delivers devastating attacks.

The boss you face is random, but there are only two current options: the Patriarch and Dr. Hans Volter. Both can summon minions (regular enemies) during the fight. If at least one member of the squad can survive and kill the boss, everyone gets credit and XP for the win.

Meet the Patriarch

The first Killing Floor only featured one boss: the Patriarch, who returns in Killing Floor 2. He is the former head of Horzine Biotech, the company responsible for the outbreak of Zeds (monsters) across the world. When his company was in danger of being shut down for its dangerous and unethical practices, the Patriarch forced his remaining staff to implant all of their biomechanical technology into him. After the first game, he continued his work alone, creating more Zeds and further mutating himself.

Ol' Patty, as I assume he likes to be called, has several attacks at his disposal:

• Minigun
• Missile
• Mortar barrage
• Melee swing
• Kick
• Charge
• Tentacle grab

At close range, you'll mainly face the swing and kick attacks, but Patriarch can also perform a charging shoulder ram that has a cooldown of 7-14 seconds (the cooldown lessens as the fight continues). Getting caught in melee range is dangerous, as all of these attacks pack a punch. But keep moving, and you should hopefully be able to limp off and heal, especially if other players are around to distract him. Also watch out for his tentacle grab, which pulls players into melee range.

From a distance, you'll need to worry about Patriarch's minigun, missiles, and mortar barrages. He remains stationary when firing the minigun on lower difficulty levels, but can move while shooting on the two highest difficulties. A single burst of minigun fire will kill any player who catches the full burst. Rocket attacks are self-explanatory, dealing splash damage when they strike a player or object.

Patriarch's mortar attack involves him firing explosives up into the air. These fall down and cause a massive blanket explosion on the ground. Because the mortar's target is unpredictable, it's a particularly dangerous attack. Luckily, Patty can't perform it during the first phase of the fight, so your team has a chance of killing him off before he starts raining mortar down. Fighting him in an area with a ceiling will also prevent mortar attacks.

The key to avoiding Patriarch's attacks is to keep moving and stay near cover. Get caught out in the open, and you might be finished off before you can get to cover, so just try to stay near solid objects when possible. Patriarch mostly targets the player who is farthest away from him, so remaining within a reasonable distance (and near other players) is important as well.

Stopping the Patriarch in his tracks

Patriarch can become invisible, appearing as a Predator-like shimmer. He often starts the fight cloaked, but he'll use it later on as well. Keep an eye out for his shimmer and fire on it as much as possible. Do enough damage, and his cloak will deactivate, which makes things a lot easier.

Cloaking makes things harder when Patriarch tries to heal. He carries three glowing green syringes on his leg, each of which is capable of fully restoring his health. After taking enough damage, Patty will run away (likely cloaking) and try to find an isolated location in which to heal. It's important for everyone to chase after and keep firing on him, as you can potentially stop his escape and even kill him before he heals.

Patriarch can take paths that players can't, however, so catching him is sometimes impossible. If you're able to lure him into an enclosed place and seal the doors, you can greatly reduce the chance of escape – but the opportunity doesn't come up all that often.

The final key to finishing Patriarch off is to fire on his weak spots, his tentacled right arm (the one with the hand) and the tentacle on his chest. The chest tentacle is only vulnerable when he uses it to grab players. Firing on these areas does extra damage and makes green blood spurt out instead of the usual red. Note that Patty's left arm and especially left leg are damage resistant, so be sure to focus on the right arm, chest, and head above all else.

Introducing Dr. Hans Volter

The Early Access version of Killing Floor 2 launched with a single boss, Dr. Hans Volter. Little is known about Dr. Volter's background. He's an elderly mad scientist who wears a Horzine-designed exosuit that sustains his life and grants him dangerous powers. As the name implies, Dr. Volter is also the owner of Volter Manor, which debuted as a playable level in this game.

Volty has several deadly attacks:

• Dual machine guns
• Melee attack
• Melee frenzy
• Grenade toss
• Grenade barrage (five or seven grenades)
• Nerve gas toss
• Nerve gas barrage
• Grab and drain

Just like the Patriarch, Dr. Volter typically goes through multiple phases during the battle. You can identify the current phase by the color of his chest apparatus. The chest color also indicates how close he is to dying:

1. Green
2. Grab and drain
3. Yellow
4. Grab and drain
5. Orange
6. Grab and drain
7. Red

Dr. Volter's phases

During his green phase, Volter spawns at a random point on the map before approaching the team. He walks slowly and taunts the team until he spots a player. Then he'll start attacking with his dual machine guns, melee attacks, and gas grenades. Getting hit by a grenade will cloud your vision, much like a bloat Zed's acid attack. Just dodge his attacks and fire away during the green phase.

Volter becomes more dangerous as he progresses through his phases. During the yellow phase, he throws more gas grenades and starts using frag grenades. When the orange phase starts, he'll move faster and chase players down more frequently. You can still outrun him and strafe to avoid his melee attacks, however.

Volter's red phase is when he becomes the most dangerous. He'll go berserk and relentlessly chase players down. He also starts relying more on melee attacks and grenade barrages than his machine guns.

Between phases, when his life drops low enough, Volter will do a grab-and-drain attack. He can only perform this move three times, just like Patriarch's healing. The bad doctor flies towards a random player and grabs them, then starts draining their life. The draining process takes five seconds, and he gains 85 percent damage resistance during the drain.

This makes shooting him somewhat wasteful, but a strong enough team can still cause Volter some pain if everyone is well armed. If you deal enough damage, Volty will drop his victim without fully recovering his health.

Still, the most effective tactic is usually to heal the grabbed player so that he or she doesn't die – hope you bought a healing pistol! After dropping the victim, Volter performs a short animation that leaves him vulnerable to attack. Be sure to take advantage of it.

Dr. Volter's weak spots are his head, chest, and backpack. Concentrate fire on those whenever possible. When he activates his shield, the shield will negate a certain amount of damage before exploding (and causing damage to nearby players). Don't let up on him when you see the shield; just keep attacking and maintaining a safe distance, so you don't get grabbed!

Survive the killing floor

Killing Floor 2 is a horde mode-style first-person shooter that can be played solo or cooperatively with teams of up to six players. It features a whopping 10 classes, 14 characters, and 15 memorable maps to fight through. Our detailed review named it the "best horde game" on Xbox One and awarded it a score of five out of five. If you're into co-op shooters, you can't afford to miss it!

Killing Floor 2 costs $39.99 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam. The retail version is exclusive to GameStop in North America.

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You can automate the process to backup your device and documents regularly on Windows 10, and in this guide, we'll show you how to do it.

It's just a matter of time until the hard drive on your device stops working, a critical error prevents your computer from starting, or files get corrupted. However, performing regular backups is one of the best ways to protect those valuable documents, photos, and configurations you worked so hard to set up your device just the way you like it.

While there are numerous third-party backup software you can opt to use, Windows 10 includes the Backup and Restore feature, which works the same way since Windows 7, and it allows you to perform a full backup of your computer automatically on a regular basis.

A full backup using the built-in tool on Windows 10 includes everything stored on your device, including the system installation, plus settings and applications, and all your files stored on your computer's primary drive and external storage. Then if something bad happens, you could restore the entire system or individual files in minutes.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to regularly create full backups of your computer automatically.

Note: Windows 10's Backup and Restore feature is still available with the Fall Creators Update.

• How to set up automatic full backups on Windows 10
• How to restore files or entire system on Windows 10

How to set up automatic full backups on Windows 10

On Windows 10, you don't need additional software to create automatic backups to protect your system installation and files, you can just use the built-in Backup and Restore feature.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

4. Click the Set up backup link on the top-right corner.

5. Select the external drive you want to use to store the backup.

6. Click Next.

7. Under "What do you want to backup?" you can select the Let Windows Choose, but to make sure everything is backed up, select the Let me choose option.

8. Click Next.

9. Check all the items you want to protect, and because we're creating a full backup, it's recommended to select every item under "Data Files" and "Computer." (If you have multiple drives, they will be listed under "Computer.")
10. Check the Include a system of drives: System Reserved, (C:) option.

11. Click Next.

12. On "Schedule," click the Change schedule link.

13. Use the available drop-down menus to select how often, what day, and what time, you want the backup to run. (It's best to select a time that you know you won't be actively using your device.)

14. Click OK.

15. Review your settings, and then click the Save settings and exit button.

Once you've completed the steps, the backup process will begin. At this time, you won't be able to change any settings, but you can click the View Details button to see exactly what's being backed up, and you'll also see an option to stop the process as necessary.

After the process completes, under "Backup," you'll be able to see the drive that's being used to store your files and the current size of the backup.

Other pieces of useful information include the date and time for the next and last backup, the contents included, and the schedule information.

Managing space

Using the Windows 10 backup system can cause an external drive to run out of space quickly, but there a few options you can use to optimize the space.

1. While in the "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" settings, under "Backup," click the Manage space link.

2. Under "Data file backup," click the View backups button.

3. In this section, you'll see a list of all files backups. If you need to free up store space, select oldest backup, and click the Delete button.

4. Click Close.

5. Under "System image," click the Change settings button.

6. By default Windows will manage the space to store system images, but you can always select the Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup option to save space.

7. Click OK.
8. Click Close.

Changing schedule

If you need to run a backup at a different time and day, you can always modify the schedule.

1. While in the "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" settings, under "Schedule," click the Change settings link.

2. Click the Next button one every section until you arrive to the Review your backup settings page.

3. Under "Schedule," click the Change schedule link.

4. Use the available drop-down menus to select how often, what day, and what time, you want the backup to run. (It's best to select a time that you know you won't be actively using your device.)

5. Click OK.

6. Review your settings, and then click the Save settings and exit button.

If you need to create a backup immediately, you don't need to change the schedule. You can just click the Back up now button on the top-right corner.

Quick Tip: If for any reason you need to stop a backup from running, you can always click the Turn off schedule link from the left pane. Then when you're ready, click the Turn on schedule link under "Schedule."

Creating a repair disc

While it's necessary to create a repair disc to boot your computer into recovery mode to restore your system backup, nowadays most devices do not come with a disc drive. If this is your case, you can use the Microsoft Media Creation Tool to create a USB bootable media with the installation files, which you can use to access the recovery mode.

If you have a disc drive, click the Create a system repair disc link from the left pane in Control Panel, and follow the on-screen directions to create a disc.

How to restore files or entire system on Windows 10

One of the benefits using this backup approach is that you can always restore individual files as well as the entire system.

How to restore individual files from backup

Using the Windows 10 backup feature, you can quickly restore one or a set of files in seconds.

1. Open Control Panel.
2. Click on System and Security.
3. Click on Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

4. Under "Restore," click the Restore my files button.

5. Click the Browse for files button.

6. Browse the backup and select the files you want to restore.

7. Click the Add files button.

8. Click the Browse for folders button.
9. Browse the backup and select the folders you want to restore.
10. Click the Add folders button.

11. Click Next.

12. You can restore the files and folder to their original location, but it's always recommended to restore them to an alternate path, as such select In the following location option.

13. Set the restore location.

14. Click Restore.
15. Click Finish.

Once you completed the steps, you can access the restored files from the location you configured during the process.

How to restore a computer from backup

When your computer doesn't boot, you want to start over with a previous backup, or you're replacing the primary hard drive on your device, you can restore your entire system using the most recently created backup.

1. Insert the disk with the system repair files (or USB bootable drive with the Windows 10 installation files) to your device.

2. Reboot your computer.

   • Quick Tip: If your device isn't booting into the Windows Setup wizard, you'll need to change your system's BIOS settings to make sure it can boot from USB or DVD drive. Usually, you can access the BIOS by starting your device and hitting one of the functions or ESC keys, but make sure to check your manufacturer's support website for more information.

3. On the "Windows Setup" page, click the Next button.

4. Click the Repair your computer link located at the bottom-left corner.

5. Click the Troubleshoot option.

   • Quick Tip: If the desktop still accessible on your Windows 10 device, you can always go to Settings> Update & Security> Recovery, and under "Advanced startup," click the Restart now button to access the Troubleshoot option.

6. Click the System Image Recovery option.

7. Choose the target OS. In this case, Windows 10.

8. On the "Re-image your computer," select the Use the latest available system image option.

9. Click Next.

10. If you're restoring a full backup to a new drive, you can also select the Format and repartition disks option. (Use this option carefully, as it will erase any existing partition and disks on your computer.)

11. Click Next.

12. Click Finish.

13. Click Yes to confirm that the backup will replace the data on the drive.

After completing the steps, the recovery process will begin, and time to finish the recovery will depend upon the amount of data and hardware configuration.

Just remember that files and system changes after the backup was created will not be included during the restore process.

If you're working with files that change quite often, it's also recommended to combine this backup system with another type of file backup, such as using OneDrive, which allows you to keep an up-to-date off-site copy of your documents, music, and pictures.

Wrapping things up

If you're still wondering, both system image backup and creating a backup using the instructions outlined in this guide include everything stored on your computer, but there are several differences.

Perhaps the best benefit running scheduled backups is that you can configure a backup once and then the tool will automatically continue to make copies regularly without you having to lift a finger.

It's also a more manageable solution. You can specify exactly what to backup, configure schedules, manage space, and you can quickly restore one or multiple files, or restore your entire system.

The only downside is that you must keep the backup drive always connected to your computer, which could be considered as a security risk as if malware sneaks into your device can not only infect your files but also those stored in the backup.

On the other hand, the system image backup also makes a copy of your entire system, but it's a manual process that is more targeted to create archival copies or temporary backups. Unlike scheduled backups, you can safely disconnect and store the backup drive in a safe location, protecting your files from natural disasters as well as from malware.

The downside with this approach is that you can only restore your device since the last backup, which means that if you're not proactively creating new backups manually, you could lose some files and system configurations. Also, a system image is meant to restore your entire device, no individual files.

Although we're focusing this guide for Windows 10 users, Backup and Restore has been around for a number of releases, which means that you can refer to these steps to create backups of your Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 device.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, 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

These are our five favorite secrets unearthed in Destiny 2 so far.

Like the original game, shortly after Destiny 2's launch, players are continually digging up various secrets and easter eggs lined through the world. With many players spending hours on end in the world, some complex methods to unlocking hidden content are already being unearthed. We've rounded up our five favorite secrets discovered so far, in the world of Destiny 2.

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1. Uncover a hidden room in the Tower

This first secret takes players to the Tower (unlocked after completing the main story) and uncovers a little more surrounding Destiny's lore. Using a specific route, a small secret room can be uncovered in the hangar, providing access to an ominous book for your Ghost investigate.

To access the room, head east after spawning in the Tower and follow the hallway to the Hangar. Walk up the stairs onto the second-floor balcony and find the area shown in the image above. Jump down onto the pipeline next to the welder and leap into the gap, to access the hidden pathway. After securing the landing, follow the ventilation duct, which leads to the secret room.

Although the room doesn't have a much to uncover, a mysterious book and flask lay on the center table. Upon investigating, your Ghost will comment on the mention of "Ana Bray"– a missing Hunter briefly established in previous Destiny lore. It's unknown if this is a sign of narrative to come later down the line but still serves a nod to those invested in Destiny lore.

2. Take the 'Floor is Lava' challenge

Another secret lies in the Tower, taking a spin on the popular real-world "floor is lava" challenge. In Destiny 2, players can find this mini-game at the top tier of the main Tower lobby, in a pile of assorted junk. A prompt reading "Don't Pick Me Up" will be displayed upon approach. As any player would do, picking up the junk casts "The Floor is Lava," to start the mini-game.

After activation, a blue waypoint will be displayed in the Tower and to complete the challenge, players must reach it. However, as the name suggests, touching the floor inflicts heavy solar damage, meaning you'll need to jump between objects and railings to reach the objective.

3. Hidden 'Scouting Patrol' on the Farm

Similarly to "The Floor is Lava" in the Tower, Destiny 2's second social space, the Farm, also sports its own secret mini-game. To kick off "Scouting Patrol," climb aboard the watermill using the geometry in the surrounding area. Staying on top of the watermill, run in the opposite direction, until the "Sentry Ranks" buff is applied to your character.

After gaining two ranks, jump from the wheel onto the building's roof and follow the overhead cables between the watermill and the next building. Continue to follow these wires between buildings, before earning four Sentry Ranks. To redeem these, press X on your controller when next the Farm bonfire, which can be found on the coastline.

Once your Sentry Ranks are redeemed, the patrol will kick off, requiring players to race between several glowing beacons. The final beacon will conclude the race on the pier, where players are equipped with a "Scouting Commander" perk. This perk increases your movement speed and jumping height, until leaving the Tower or dying of fall damage.

4. Trigger 'Heroic' Public Events

Even if you've sunk only a few hours into Destiny 2, you'll have likely come across a Public Event. These randomized events provide opportunities to secret additional loot alongside other fireteams and now have a much heavier focus on being an end-game activity.

Shortly after launch, players began to uncover "Heroic" public events – harder variants triggered during a traditional event. Although how these are accessed varies between event types, this hugely increases the stakes, with rarer loot rewards upon completion. If you're looking for a way to get quick Legendaries and Exotics, this can be a relatively simple route.

5. Spawn the Traveler mega-ball

In the original Destiny, the purple ball became an iconic part of the Tower. Countless hours were spent kicking this orb around the social space with other players, even if there were no rewards for doing so. In Destiny 2, the ball has returned once again, alongside a secret twist for those willing to complete the puzzle.

After spawning in the Tower, climb up to the central balcony in the center of the social space. In the corner of the platform, a glossy purple ball should be sat upon some crates, provided other Guardians haven't already moved it from its initial spawn location.

Once the ball has been kicked to a specific location to the west wing of the Tower, more balls will continue to spawn, growing in size. After shifting all four colored balls to set locations, this spawns a giant ball with low gravity properties, shaped similarly to a well-known orb in Destiny's world. This is one of the hardest secrets to trigger in Destiny 2, so we recommend finding a video with specific breakdowns of exact locations.

Have you found any hidden tricks or secrets in Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments section.

Destiny 2 for Xbox One review: Back stronger than ever, but far from revolutionary

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Xbox fans are going to buy a lot of 4K TV sets this holiday season, as the Xbox One X approaches its planned launch date.

The general consensus right now is that OLED TVs are the best for 4K HDR gaming, providing the best viewing angles, the best contrast ratios, and the best color gamuts. We list the LG C7 as the best OLED 4K HDR TV you can pick up right now for the Xbox One S and Xbox One X, and that's not likely to change for a while.

However, more and more people are waking up to the fact that OLED sets can suffer from burn-in and image retention. Microsoft is aware, however, and in Xbox One build 1710, they have already prepared a way to combat this issue.

What is OLED burn-in?

Burn-in typically refers to the appearance of previous images shown by the becoming "burned" into the display, appearing like a faint ghost-like blur or image on top of whatever you're currently watching. Burn-in was particularly notable on Plasma TVs, which are no longer in circulation.

OLED TVs are made up of organic light emitting diodes, with each pixel representing an individual point of colored light. The "black" in an OLED is simply a pixel that is switched off, giving OLED screens vivid contrast ratios with support for truly black points of darkness.

For Xbox One and other consoles, burn-in is potentially a bigger problem, as the system menus with bright elements and outlines can quite easily lead to burn-in if left turned on and unattended, fixed on screen for long periods of time.

OLED burn-in doesn't seem to be anywhere near as widespread as Plasma burn-in was, but it still represents an issue potential owners should be aware of.

One of the more common issues you'll notice for OLED sets is temporary image retention. If left on a static screen for too long, the image can become retained in the display, albeit temporarily. For example, the white text on the Xbox dashboard or the HUD in a first person shooter fixes pixels in a high-intensity state for the duration of their active use. If you're playing 4-6 hours of Battlefield 1, you're keeping those pixels representing the HUD locked in a single state for a long time.

Turning off the TV for a while, typically, seems to resolve this temporary retention issue, but OLED TVs on display in stores for months, cycling through the same content or displaying a single image have been known to suffer from more serious bouts of burn-in. If you're playing serviced-based games for months, showing the same HUD for months, that could potentially represent a problem. Thankfully, Microsoft has already developed technology to help combat this issue.

How the Xbox defends against burn-in

In the Xbox One's 1710 update, Microsoft introduced new screen dimmer features to the console. Some of these features include large notifications that let you view invites at a glance, when you might not be paying attention to the TV, but also, a special technique designed to prevent against OLED burn-in and other types of image retention.

By enabling the new Xbox One screen dimmer, it will induce a screensaver of sorts, that not only defends against burn-in over longer periods of time but also "scrubs" image retention from the screen.

In the capture above, we've dialed up the contrast and brightness quite high so you can see the Xbox screen dimmer in action. In practice, it will be very hard to see with the naked eye.

There are bands of varying intensity scrolling from left to right across the screen, comprised of a noise pattern that is quite difficult to reproduce in a screen shot, but you can see it if you enable it on your own TV. The noise intensity increases and decreases as the pattern scrolls across the display, exercising the individual diodes with subtle differences in light and color.

Your OLED should be safe with Xbox

This technique was designed specifically by the team at Xbox to combat image retention and burn-in, and for those picking up OLEDs, enabling the screen dimmer will go a long way to extending the longevity of your set.

• How the new Xbox screen dimmer works
• Best TVs for Xbox One S and X

Should I still choose a hard-disk drive for my laptop?

Today, when shopping for a new laptop, you'll likely see a hard drive advertised as either a hard-disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). HDDs have a physical platter that is read while it spins, while SSDs have no moving parts and are thus much faster. Since SSDs are available, why are laptops still shipping with the slower HDDs? Let's break it down and, along the way, explain the big difference between drives and which one you should buy.

See our extensive laptop buyer's guide

The tale of two hard-disk drives

Whether you have an HDD or an SSD advertised with a new laptop, you'll see a storage size, usually measured in gigabytes (GB) or terabytes (TB). If it's an HDD, you should also see a listed speed.

The spindle speed, which signifies how fast the physical platters inside rotate and is measured in revolutions per minute (RPM), will often be either 5,400RPM or 7,200RPM. Great! You want a fast hard drive, so you'll go with the 7,200RPM model. The higher RPM drive spins faster, but there is another factor to consider. Areal density, which is how close together the bits of data can be jammed together on a platter, also plays a role, albeit significantly diminished thanks to advancing technology.

Without getting too technical, there are two parts that make up areal density. There are tracks per inch (TPI) as well as bits per inch (BPI). More tracks on the platter, higher TPI. More bits on each track, higher BPI. An HDD with a higher TPI and a higher BPI is preferred.

Think of it like this: you have a sprinter who can carry two boxes at a time, one under each arm. The sprinter must make several quick trips back and forth between the starting point and the end point. There is also a hiker who can carry way more boxes thanks to a large backpack and careful packing. The hiker takes longer to make a trip but will deliver more boxes at the endpoint. In this case, the hiker is the 5,400RPM drive, and the sprinter is the 7,200RPM drive.

Areal density has pretty much been topped out in HDDs, so you can worry less about it when buying a drive. Plus, now that SSDs are readily available in many laptops, you have an entirely new option to look at.

Why do some new laptops still come with hard-disk drives?

Laptop manufacturers know what most laptop buyers are looking for; long battery life, a large amount of storage, an acceptable price, and a slim chassis. This is why you'll often see a hard drive's size mentioned without any other specifics. They draw us in with a flashy 1TB offering and we move on to looking at thickness and weight, as well as how long the battery lasts. To help boost all these specifications, a 5,400RPM HDD is often used. It doesn't move as fast, taking less power and creating less heat, it's readily available in large sizes, it's relatively cheap, and it's commonly found in a 2.5-inch size.

Take, for example, this 2.5-inch, internal 2TB Seagate 5,400RPM HDD that costs $85. That's a lot of storage for something that fits into most modern laptops, and it's available for a reasonable price. In comparison, this 2.5-inch, internal 1TB HGST Travelstar 7,200RPM HDD costs about $55. Both drives are highly rated, but one has 1TB less storage.

If you are going with an HDD, no matter the speed, always check full laptop reviews as well as hard drive reviews to get an idea of how it will stand up to everyday usage. Technology has come such a long way that you'll usually see some defect specific to the manufacturer cause a failure before a drive could wear itself out through regular use, whether 5,400RPM or 7,200RPM. If there's an option for an SSD, you're confronted with a whole other decision.

Should you choose a solid-state drive with a new laptop?

In most cases, if an SSD is an option in a new laptop, the wise decision — as long as you feel there's enough storage space — would be to go with it. The difference in performance, especially when you get away from SATA interfaces, is enormous, and once you've used an SSD in the past, the step back to an HDD is a big one.

We've come across plenty of 5,400 and 7,200RPM HDDs while reviewing laptops, and the performance difference is immediately noticeable. Apps take longer to load, Windows 10 takes longer to boot, and unzipping a file is almost torture. Even in a laptop with otherwise blazing hardware inside, a slow HDD can mar a great experience.

Still, you need to do your research when it comes to SSDs, as they are not all made the same. The Surface Laptop, which uses a Toshiba drive, is much slower than, say, the Lenovo Flex 5, which uses a Samsung drive. Here are some stats from CrystalDiskMark to give you a better idea of how drives stack up when it comes to sequential read and write speeds.

It's evident that not all drives are made the same, and you'll see performance fluctuations when moving between states, interfaces, and manufacturers. Read plenty of reviews, find out who makes the hard drive in a laptop, and search out benchmarks for an idea of how it will perform.

Best solid-state drives for Windows PCs

How to DIY upgrade your hard drive

The choice to go with an SSD isn't always an easy one. They are quite a bit more expensive, and you likely won't get the same volume of storage. That's a trade-off that's currently a reality, but there are some solutions.

You could buy a laptop with a small SSD in it to save some money now, wait for a sale on SSDs and buy one for cheap, and install it yourself. You just have to make sure your laptop allows you to tinker with its internals. Some of our favorite laptops support this type of DIY project, and we've written a few guides on the subject.

• How to find out if you can upgrade your laptop
• Best upgradeable laptops
• How to upgrade the SSD in a Dell XPS 13
• How to upgrade the SSD in a Dell XPS 15
• How to upgrade the SSD in a Razer Blade
• How to upgrade the storage and RAM in an ASUS GL552
• Hard drive imaging vs. cloning: What's the difference?
• How to clone your PC using Macrium Reflect

Did you install an app and isn't appearing in the All apps list? If so, in this guide, we'll show you the steps to manually add a shortcut to the Start menu on Windows 10.

On Windows 10, as part of the installation process, apps usually add a shortcut or folder in the Start menu to make easier to open them. However, some apps are not capable of registering themselves to appear in the "All apps" list, such as portable and very old apps.

If you have an app that doesn't have a shortcut in this list, it's possible to create a shortcut to quickly find and open the app using the Start menu.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the easy steps to add an app entry to the All apps list manually.

How to add an app to the Start menu's All apps list

1. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.

2. Type the following path and click OK:

   %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

3. Using the Windows key + Right arrow keyboard shortcut snap the window to the right.
4. Browse to the location of the app, where the .exe file is located.
5. Using the Windows key + Left arrow keyboard shortcut snap the window with the application files to the left.
6. Right-click, hold, drag and drop the .exe file that launch the apps to the Programs folder on the right.

7. Select Create shortcuts here from the context menu.

8. Right-click the shortcut, select Rename, and name the shortcut exactly how you want it to appear in the All apps list.

9. Repeat the steps for all the apps you want to add to the list.

10. Restart your computer to apply the changes in the Start menu.

Once you've completed the steps, simply open the Start menu and the list will now show the new app shortcut.

You can also use these instructions to create shortcuts for apps that create folders with a bunch of links (e.g., Apple's iTunes and 7-Zip). This way you can click the letter at the top of the group to use the index to quickly jump to the app without having to drill-down through the folder to open it.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, 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

Your PC may be vulnerable to attacks — use this guide to disable the Server Message Block (SMB) version 1 (v1) protocol on Windows 10.

Recent ransomware attacks, including WannaCry and Petya, both wreaked havoc on hundreds of thousands of PCs around the globe, taking advantage of a flaw found in the old SMBv1, which still comes enabled by default on Windows 10.

SMB is a network file sharing protocol that Windows 10 uses to allow apps to read and write to files, as well as to perform services requests for another device on the network. There are three versions of SMB, but version 1 is the only one affected; versions 2 and 3 are not vulnerable.

If your computer is not running applications that require the use of this protocol, it's recommended to disable SMBv1 completely to prevent future malicious attacks that could use this vulnerability.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to disable the SMBv1 protocol to make your device less vulnerable to attacks.

How to disable SMBv1 protocol on Windows 10

To disable the vulnerable protocol on Windows 10, follow these steps:

Note: Before proceeding, make sure to save all your work and close any running applications.

1. Open Start.
2. Type Turn Windows features on or off and click the result.

3. Clear the SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support option.

4. Click OK.
5. Click Restart now.

Once you've completed the steps and your machine reboots, SMBv1 will no longer present a threat to your system.

Microsoft is expected to remove this protocol with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, but in the meantime, you can use these steps to prevent your device from getting compromised.

You can also follow our other recommendations to keep your Windows 10 device even protected against malware.

While this guide is focused on Windows 10, you can also use these steps to disable SMBv1 on Windows 8.1, Windows 7, and older versions of the OS, which aren't likely to get an update that removes the three-decade-old protocol.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, 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