Help & How To

If you're new to OneDrive, we'll walk you through the steps to get started with the cloud storage service on your Windows 10 PC.

OneDrive is a cloud storage service from Microsoft that allows you to store all your important files securely in one place and then access them virtually anywhere.

It works just like a traditional hard drive, but it's on the internet, and you get access to additional features. For example, thanks to its cross-device and cross-platform design, you can create a file on your computer, and pick up where you left off on your laptop, tablet, or phone without having to save a copy on a USB drive or email the file to yourself. Also, OneDrive makes it easy to share content with other people, and collaborate in real-time using its Office 365 integration.

Windows 10 users get even more benefits. When your PC is connected using a Microsoft account, you're not only able to store files in the cloud, but you can sync and roam Windows settings across all your devices, and store BitLocker recovery keys and other data. Files On-Demand is another great feature that lets you access files without having to download them first saving a lot of local storage. And because data is stored in the cloud, it also works as a data recovery mechanism if your device breaks or gets stolen.

Here we'll go through the process to create an account, set up the sync client on your PC, perform everyday tasks, and customize common settings.

How to create a OneDrive account

You're required to use a Microsoft Account to use OneDrive. If you already have a @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, or @live.com*email address, or an Xbox Live or Skype account, you already have a Microsoft account, and you can use that info to sign in.

If you don't have a Microsoft account, do the following:

Visit OneDrive.com using your web browser.
Click the Sign up for free button.
Click the Create a Microsoft account button.
Create a new email address and password for the new account.
Click the Next button.
Continue through any additional on-screen instructions.

Once you completed these steps, you can start using OneDrive and connect your account to Windows 10.

How to set up OneDrive on Windows 10

Setting up OneDrive on your PC is easy. Here's how:

Open Start.
Search OneDrive and click the top result.
- Quick Tip: If you don't find OneDrive on your computer, download the OneDrive client from Microsoft, and double-click the file to install it.
Using the setup experience, enter your email address.
Click the Sign in button.
Enter your Microsoft account password.
Click the Sign in button.
Click the Next button.
Important: If the OneDrive folder already exists, it's safer to use the Change location option to set up OneDrive in another folder path to prevent file sync problems.
Click the Not now button if you're using the free version of OneDrive.
Click through the welcome tips.
Click the Open my OneDrive folder button.

After completing these steps, you can start uploading your files to the cloud.

How to upload files to OneDrive

OneDrive integrates with File Explorer, making the process of uploading files straightforward. Just follow these steps:

Open File Explorer (Windows key + E).
Click the OneDrive folder using the left pane.
Note: If you have multiple accounts configured on your device, the folders will be named accordingly: OneDrive - Personal for your regular account, and OneDrive - Family for business accounts.
Drag and drop or copy and paste content into the OneDrive folder.

After placing the new files and folders into OneDrive, the client will automatically sync them to your account in the background.

Quick Tip: In the future, instead of continually relocating files, remember that within the application, you can always save the files you're working on directly to the OneDrive folder.

How to choose which folders to sync from OneDrive

If you want to specify which folders stored in the cloud should be accessible from your computer, do the following:

Click the cloud icon in the notification area.
Click the three-dotted menu button in the top-right corner.
Click Settings.
In the "Account" tab, click the Choose folders button.
Clear the Make all files available option.
Check the folders you want to make visible.
Click OK.
Click OK again.

Once you complete these steps, only the files and folders you specified will be visible from your device. However, you'll be able to access the content you didn't specify using the OneDrive experience on the web.And you can use the same instructions to add or remove content as needed.

How to understand the sync status of OneDrive files

OneDrive uses at least 10 different badges to inform users about the status of the app and file syncing.

OneDrive icon status

Solid white cloud icon — OneDrive is running without problems and sync is up-to-date.
Solid blue cloud icon — Indicates that a "OneDrive for business" account is configured. The sync is up-to-date, and there are no problems.
Solid gray cloud icon — OneDrive is running but isn't connected to any account, or you're signed out.
Cloud icon with arrows forming a circle — OneDrive is actively downloading or uploading files and folders to the cloud.
Solid red with white X icon — OneDrive is running, but there are sync problems that require your attention.

Files and folders statuses

White cloud with blue borders icon — Indicates that the file is only available when you're connected to the internet, and it's not using local storage. You'll need to double-click the file to finish the download and open with an application.
White icon with green borders and check mark icon — File is available offline, you can open them without an internet connection, and they're taking up local storage space.
Solid green with white check mark icon — You'll see this status badge when using the "Always keep on this device" option to ensure important files are available offline.
Solid red with white X icon — Alerts you that there is a problem trying to sync a particular folder or file.
Cloud icon with arrows forming a circle — Indicates that a file is currently syncing.

How to use OneDrive Files On-Demand

OneDrive Files On-Demand is a feature that became available with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, and it allows you to access your entire collection of files stored in the cloud using File Explorer without having to download them first to your device.

In other words, Files On-Demand will only download small pieces of information to make the content visible allowing you to quickly sync hundreds of gigabytes without using space on your computer.

However, you'll need an internet connection to open files that you don't explicitly make available offline, or you didn't already open.

You can enable OneDrive Files On-Demand using these steps:

Click the cloud icon in the notification area.
Click the three-dotted menu button in the top-right corner.
Click on Settings.
Click the Settings tab.
Under "Files On-Demand," check the Save space and download files as you use them option.
Click OK.

Once you complete these steps, OneDrive Files On-Demand will be enabled on your device. You can then right-click files or folders and:

Select the Free up space option to make a file only available with an internet connection.
Select the Always keep on this device option to ensure the content is always available offline.

How to share files using OneDrive

Another great feature that OneDrive offers is an easy way to share files with family, friends, or coworkers.

Instead of making a copy using a USB drive or sending email to other people, OneDrive on Windows 10 allows you to quickly share virtually any files by creating a secure link that others can use to access the content.

There are multiple ways to share files using OneDrive, but the steps to get started are listed below.

Sharing files without an Office 365 subscription

If you're using OneDrive without the benefits of Office 365, you can share files using Windows 10, but to manage sharing permissions, you'll need to use the web experience. Here's how:

Open OneDrive.
Browse the path that includes the file you want to share.
Right-click the file, and click the Share a OneDrive link option.

After completing the steps, a unique link to the file (or folder) will be created and copied to the clipboard. You can just right-click, paste, and send the link using email, social media, or another messaging service.

At any time, you can stop sharing a file or folder. Here's how:

Right-click the file you're sharing.
Select More OneDrive sharing options.
Using the web experience, click the file information button in the top-right corner.
Click the Manage access link.
Click the Remove link (X) button.
Click the Remove link blue button.

Once you complete these steps, no one will be able to access the files you shared, making the previously created link useless.

Sharing files with an Office 365 subscription

If you have an Office 365 subscription, the sharing experience is simplified, so you don't have to open OneDrive in your web browser to create a link or manage files permissions.

If you have a subscription, you can quickly share files using these steps:

Right-click the file you want.
Select Share.
Use the drop-down menu to select the share permission.
Specify an email address if you're going to send the link to another person and click the Send button. Or you can click the Copy Link option.

After completing these steps, if you want to stop sharing the file, use these steps:

Right-click the file you're sharing.
Select Share.
Click the three-dotted button in the top-right corner.
Select the Manage Access option.
Click the Remove link (X) button.

How to get more storage on OneDrive

When you sign up for the free version of OneDrive, you only get 5GB of space.

If you're running low, you can always upgrade your account to 50GB by opting into a $1.99 per-month subscription. Alternatively, if you need even more storage, you can purchase an Office 365 Personal subscription that comes with 1,000GB of OneDrive storage and access to the suite of Office applications.

In order to see how much storage you're using, do the following:

Click the cloud icon in the notification area.
Click the three-dotted menu button in the top-right corner.
Click on Settings.
Click the Account tab to see the current usage.

Once you complete these steps, if you're running out of space, you can check all the available storage plans at OneDrive.com to upgrade.

Wrapping things up

Although there are many cloud storage services available, because of its integration with PCs and Office 365, OneDrive remains the best experience for Windows 10 users.

However, there's room for improvements, and the experience isn't consistent everywhere. On Windows 10, for example, when sharing files, you get one experience when using an Office 365 and another without a subscription. Also, it can be difficult to tell which files you're sharing when using File Explorer.

Do you use OneDrive on Windows 10? Tell us in the comments.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

Windows 10

windows 10 help

OneDrive

Help & How To

Windows

Got a Harman Kardon Invoke speaker but not sure where its settings are located? Fear not, we have you covered.

You've got a new Invoke and set it all up, and now you want to customize it. It might not be immediately obvious how to gain access to the Settings pane for the Invoke. Here's where to find it!

Microsoft hides the settings for Cortana devices within the Cortana UI.

See Harman Kardon Invoke at Amazon

How to access Harman Kardon Invoke settings

Follow these steps:

Open Cortana and select the Devices button.
Select the Settings tab

You can now customize the Harman Kardon Invoke's few configurable options, including its name, whether or not Cortana plays a sound when you say "Hey Cortana," and set up your preferred music streaming service. You can also use this location to send feedback to Microsoft about your Harman Kardon Invoke, and even remove all the devices you have associated with your account. This is handy if you ever sell any of your Cortana-enabled devices.

How to customize your Invoke speaker with new 'skills'

To further customize your Harman Kardon Invoke by adding new "skills," do the following:

Open the Cortana Notebook, and select Skills.
Select Discover new skills.
Select a new skill and Cortana will "learn" it.

How to control home automation devices with Invoke

Finally, if you want to set up the Invoke so you can control home automation devices, you can add connected home devices via the Notebook. Here's how:

Open the Cortana Notebook and select Connected Home.
Select one of the connected home services available within Cortana.

You can now use voice commands to access specific tasks for the skills and connected home devices you set up.

See Harman Kardon Invoke at Amazon

Windows 10 has a hands-free using Speech Recognition feature, and in this guide, we show you how to set up the experience and perform common tasks.

On Windows 10, Speech Recognition is an easy-to-use experience that allows you to control your computer entirely with voice commands.

Anyone can set up and use this feature to navigate, launch applications, dictate text, and perform a slew of other tasks. However, Speech Recognition was primarily designed to help people with disabilities who can't use a mouse or keyboard.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to configure and start using Speech Recognition to control your computer only with voice.

How to configure Speech Recognition on Windows 10

To set up Speech Recognition on your device, use these steps:

Open Control Panel.
Click on Ease of Access.
Click on Speech Recognition.
Click the Start Speech Recognition link.
In the "Set up Speech Recognition" page, click Next.
Select the type of microphone you'll be using.
Note: Desktop microphones are not ideal, and Microsoft recommends headset microphones or microphone arrays.
Click Next.
Click Next again.
Read the text aloud to ensure the feature can hear you.
Click Next.
Click Next again.
Speech Recognition can access your documents and emails to improve its accuracy based on the words you use. Select the Enable document review option, or select Disable document review if you have privacy concerns.
Click Next.
Pick an activation mode:
- Use manual activation mode — Speech Recognition turns off the "Stop Listening" command. To turn it back on, you'll need to click the microphone button or use the Ctrl + Windows key shortcut.
- Use voice activation mode — Speech Recognition goes into sleep mode when not in use, and you'll need to invoke the "Start Listening" voice command to turn it back on.
Click Next.
If you're not familiar with the commands, click the View Reference Sheet button to learn more about the voice commands you can use.
Click Next.
Select whether you want this feature to start automatically at startup.
Click Next.
Click the Start tutorial button to access the Microsoft video tutorial about this feature, or click the Skip tutorial button to complete the setup.

Once you complete these steps, you can start using the feature with voice commands, and the controls will appear at the top of the screen.

Quick Tip: You can drag and dock the Speech Recognition interface anywhere on the screen.

How to train Speech Recognition to improve accuracy

After the initial setup, we recommend training Speech Recognition to improve its accuracy and to prevent the "What was that?" message as much as possible.

Open Control Panel.
Click on Ease of Access.
Click on Speech Recognition.
Click the Train your computer to better understand you link.
Click Next to continue with the training as directed by the application.

After completing the training, Speech Recognition should have a better understanding of your voice to provide an improved experience.

How to change Speech Recognition settings

If you need to change the Speech Recognition settings, use these steps:

Open Control Panel.
Click on Ease of Access.
Click on Speech Recognition.
Click the Advanced speech options link in the left pane.

Inside "Speech Properties," in the Speech Recognition tab, you can customize various aspects of the experience, including:

Language.
Recognition profiles.
User settings.
Microphone.

In the Text to Speech tab, you can control voice settings, including:

Voice selection.
Voice speed.

Additionally, you can always right-click the experience interface to open a context menu to access all the different features and settings you can use with Speech Recognition.

How to use Speech Recognition on Windows 10

While there is a small learning curve, Speech Recognition uses clear and easy-to-remember commands. For example, using the "Start" command opens the Start menu, while saying "Show Desktop" will minimize everything on the screen.

If Speech Recognition is having difficulties understanding your voice, you can always use the Show numbers command as everything on the screen has a number. Then say the number and speak OK to execute the command.

Here are some common tasks that will get you started with Speech Recognition:

Starting Speech Recognition

To launch the experience, just open the Start menu, search for Windows Speech Recognition, and select the top result.

Turning on and off

To start using the feature, click the microphone button or say Start listening depending on your configuration.

In the same way, you can turn it off by saying Stop listening or clicking the microphone button.

Using commands

Some of the most frequent commands you'll use include:

Open — Launches an app when saying "Open" followed by the name of the app. For example, "Open Mail," or "Open Firefox."
Switch to — Jumps to another running app when saying "Switch to" followed by the name of the app. For example, "Switch to Microsoft Edge."
Control window in focus — You can use the commands "Minimize,""Maximize," and "Restore" to control an active window.
Scroll — Allows you to scroll in a page. Simply use the command "Scroll down" or "Scroll up,""Scroll left" or "Scroll right." It's also possible to specify long scrolls. For example, you can try: "Scroll down two pages."
Close app — Terminates an application by saying "Close" followed by the name of the running application. For example, "Close Word."
Clicks — Inside an application, you can use the "Click" command followed by the name of the element to perform a click. For example, in Word, you can say "Click Layout," and Speech Recognition will open the Layout tab. In the same way, you can use "Double-click" or "Right-click" commands to perform those actions.
Press — This command lets you execute shortcuts. For example, you can say "Press Windows A" to open Action Center.

Using dictation

Speech Recognition also includes the ability to convert voice into text using the dictation functionality, and it works automatically.

If you need to dictate text, open the application (making sure the feature is in listening mode) and start dictating. However, remember that you'll have to say each punctuation mark and special character.

For example, if you want to insert the "Good morning, where do you like to go today?" sentence, you'll need to speak, "Open quote good morning comma where do you like to go today question mark close quote."

In the case that you need to correct some text that wasn't recognized accurately, use the "Correct" command followed by the text you want to change. For example, if you meant to write "suite" and the feature recognized it as "suit," you can say "Correct suit," select the suggestion using the correction panel or say "Spell it" to speak the correct text, and then say "OK".

Wrapping things up

Although Speech Recognition doesn't offer a conversational experience like a personal assistant, it's still a powerful tool for anyone who needs to control their device entirely using only voice.

Cortana also provides the ability to control a device with voice, but it's limited to a specific set of input commands, and it's not possible to control everything that appears on the screen.

However, that doesn't mean that you can't get the best of both worlds. Speech Recognition runs independently of Cortana, which means that you can use the Microsoft's digital assistant for certain tasks and Speech Recognition to navigate and execute other commands.

It's worth noting that this speech recognition isn't available in every language. Supported languages include English (U.S. and UK), French, German, Japanese, Mandarin (Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional), and Spanish.

While this guide is focused on Windows 10, Speech Recognition has been around for a long time, so you can refer to it even if you're using Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

Microsoft is bringing a wave of new features to Xbox One in its next update. These are all the confirmed expected changes so far, ahead of its public release.

Microsoft has been preparing the next big update for Xbox One consoles, delivering a range of improvements upon the last year's major feature update. While the update isn't expected to debut any significant enhancements, some welcome changes are still in the pipeline.

The next update is currently available for testing to members of the Xbox Insider Program, ahead of its expected public release in the weeks ahead. While an official name is yet to be paired with this update, it currently goes by the version number "1802." Early builds on the next branch, "Redstone 4," are expected to roll out sometime in the coming months with a larger batch of features.

Ahead of the update's public release, we wrapped up everything we know so far – and what you should expect when it hits your console.

Scheduled Themes

While a simple concept, "Scheduled Themes" will be a welcome addition to the Xbox One OS. Complementing the "light" and "dark" themes implemented last year, the feature aims to deliver a dynamic color scheme to the console.

Although the dark theme is generally easier on the eyes in dimmer environments, light themes offer improved visibility in brighter locations. Using Scheduled Themes, the console will automatically shift between the two themes at set times of day, securing the benefits of both themes around the day and night cycles. For more information on Scheduled Themes, and a step-by-step guide to its implementation, make sure to check our extensive post on the subject.

How to use Xbox One Scheduled Themes

Do Not Disturb status

Xbox Live packs some impressive social features, serving as the binding network for Microsoft's gaming platforms. Communication, matchmaking and content features are engrained into the console but can distract you from the Xbox One's main attraction: games.

"Do Not Disturb" will allow gamers to cut out Xbox Live's clutter, by blocking incoming notifications for social activities. System-level notifications, such as Achievement unlocks will still be visible, meaning you won't miss the activity important to you.

How to enable Do Not Disturb status on Xbox One

Next Achievements

Achievement hunters are in for a treat, with a new feature that helps pinpoint easy achievements on the horizon. "Next Achievements" gathers achievements into an individual feed, allowing you to sort upcoming unlocks based on various factors. Using the filtering tools, achievements can be categorized by completion, rarity, highest value and more.

Next Achievements will be found in the "Achievements" tab of the Guide menu, as a pop-out window. This also means the feature can be quickly accessed without leaving the game, alongside existing Achievement tracking features.

Xbox One Achievement tips to maximize your Gamerscore

Mini Game Hubs

Game Hubs serve as a single location for Xbox One games, condensing announcements, social posts, and other content into a single source. While in the current version of the OS Game Hubs are isolated sections to visit, "Mini Game Hubs" will deliver highlights directly to the Guide menu.

Mini Game Hubs may lack the depth and functionality of full Game Hubs, though they will serve top posts in a more digestible manner. This allows you to catch up on Game Hub activity, without leaving your current gaming session.

More features

Outside of the biggest changes with this update, smaller tweaks have been implemented across the OS, including:

A new Xbox Game Pass Discovery tile is being added to the bottom of the Guide menu, hooking directly into Microsoft's Netflix-style subscription service, Xbox Game Pass. Providing a way to explore the full spectrum of Xbox Game Pass titles, the Discovery tile opens the list for a random title from the library when selected.
This update will bring the ability to finely tune the console's automatic shut down timer, allowing for two-, three-, four- and five-hour periods, alongside the existing one- and six-hour options.
Comment sorting is being reworked to place most recent comments at the top.
The most recent comment on a post will be visible directly from the Activity Feed, encouraging more users to jump into the conversation.
Comment likes will be viewable to see which users have interacted with a specific comment.

Your thoughts

What new features would you like to see on Xbox One? What do you think of these expected changes? Let us know in the comments.

Think you need a new PC? How do you know when it's the right time? Read this.

A PC is no different than any other piece of electronics; eventually, it just goes beyond its useful life. But, unlike something like a smartphone or a tablet, or even a microwave oven, a PC doesn't have to be thrown out at the first sign of trouble.

Before upgrading a PC, you can upgrade the parts in your PC most of the time before giving in to the inevitable and upgrading the whole thing. But there are some things to consider.

It's running slower

The first sign something is wrong with your PC is that general performance has dropped off substantially. Is your CPU always running close to 100 percent? Is your RAM always full? Are the fans always running at maximum? Constant blue screen of death? Old PCs have old components, and even if you haven't really changed your habits, the software you're using has inevitably become more demanding as time goes by.

On a desktop PC, you may be able to add more RAM or swap out your CPU for a newer, more capable one, but both could also involve replacing more parts like the motherboard. You should investigate just how much you'll need to spend before pulling the trigger, as it may work out better, in the long run, to just get a whole new PC.

On a laptop, often you can add more RAM or swap out a hard-disk drive (HDD) for a solid-state drive (SSD), which can help. But if the laptop is really old (circa Windows 7 or earlier), it's probably time to get a new one when things start getting slow.

Your needs have changed

Surface Laptop

If you used to just check email and browse the web, you might have a pretty low-spec machine. If all of a sudden you're wanting to play games or do some heavy creative work like editing video, your PC might not physically be able to handle it.

New software will always tell you what you need in your machine to run it properly, so you'll have an idea before you do anything. But if you're clinging to an old netbook and you want to start shooting video for YouTube, you'll want a new laptop.

More: The Windows Central laptop buyers guide

You want to game hard

Razer Blade

Gaming is one of the most intensive processes a consumer PC will have to undertake. Graphics need power to be able to process, and in most cases integrated graphics (those found on the processor) won't hack it, especially if you're using an older PC.

The great news is that modern gaming PC parts should see you through many years, whether you build or buy a desktop or get a new gaming laptop. Decide what sort of games you want to play first, then match those against the sort of parts you're going to need. If you're playing lighter titles like CS:GO or League of Legends, you don't need to spend $800 on a graphics card.

More: Best gaming laptops

It's physically broken

If something on your PC is actually broken, is it worth your time and money to get it repaired? Some parts, like batteries on laptops, are fairly easy to replace and don't cost the world.

But if there's substantial damage, especially on an older laptop, it's probably going to cost you more than the machine is worth to get it fixed. Don't bother, and put that money towards a new one.

Newer connections

USB-C

Old PCs will have ports on them consistent with the time they were new. Let's face it, who wants a VGA port anymore? Or USB 2.0? The world has moved on to USB 3.0 and even USB-C, Thunderbolt 3 and HDMI.

On a laptop, you're stuck with what it comes with it, and even on a desktop most of the ports you're using will be attached to the motherboard. Replacing an older motherboard for a modern one could also require RAM and a new CPU, at which point you're basically looking at a new PC.

Your tips

Those are five things to look out for when deciding if you need to upgrade your PC, but if you have some tips you'd share with your friends or family, be sure to drop them into the comments below.

More: Best Dell laptops

NextPVR

This free TV and DVR for Windows might look a little dated, but it's very useful. And it's free.

Unlike some other services such as Plex or HDHomeRun DVR, NextPVR is completely free to use. There are no restrictions, but if you like it you can certainly donate to the developer (and you should.)

Essentially, it's another way to get your live TV and DVR features onto your Windows PC if you're using OTA channels. You can also hook it into Kodi, which is extra useful, but here we're just going to look at how to get up and running with NextPVR.

Download NextPVR and assemble your equipment

It goes without saying that the first thing to do is download and install NextPVR for Windows. Hit the link below to get started.

Download NextPVR for Windows

The next thing you'll need is some form of network attached tuner. For the purposes of this guide, we're using the HDHomeRun Connect. You'll need to make sure you set up your individual tuner before you start setting up NextPVR.

How to set up and use a HDHomeRun tuner on Windows

Setting up NextPVR

NextPVR

Once you've installed the NextPVR software, you'll have to go and set it all up yourself. The screen above is what you'll be looking at, and the first thing you need to do is right click and select settings.

There are many things to tweak, but to get going you'll need to click on the devices tab.

NextPVR

You'll see something like the image above. In my case, I see multiple entries for HDHomeRun because NextPVR is recognizing each individual tuner on the device. Double click on the correct one, and in the next box, you'll have the option to scan for channels. Even if your tuner has done this at set up, do it again here to populate the information and EPG data into NextPVR.

Now, when you go back to the main interface you'll be able to click on live TV or TV guide and get right into watching shows within the NextPVR application.

Setting up DVR

NextPVR

To get going with recording shows you'll need to head back to settings as detailed above and click on the recordings tab. It's here where you can customize your DVR.

The only thing you absolutely have to do is choose a destination drive either on your PC or network to save shows. You also get options to decide how much padding you want on either side to guarantee you get the start and finish (because you can't trust TV channels to be on time), and you can customize the naming format of the files so it's easier to keep seasons of shows organized.

Once you've recorded a show, the NextPVR app will let you watch it by selecting from the recordings tab.

MPEG2 Decoder

NextPVR

When I first set up NextPVR I was unable to get any video, despite audio coming through. The message was that I needed an MPEG2 decoder, and even though I had the Microsoft one installed from the Store, that didn't seem to be compatible with NextPVR. If you're having similar issues, there's an easy fix.

MPEG2 is specifically important here in the case of live TV since that's the format you need to decode and view it on your PC. The one to get seems to be the "ffdshow" decoder, which you can find at the link below. Once it's installed on your PC, you can select it under the decoders tab in settings and you should now be good to get live TV.

Download the ffdshow MPEG2 decoder

Watching TV and scheduling recordings

NextPVR

Now that you're set up, the fun part begins. Your TV guide should be populated, and you can begin watching shows. If you just jump right in to live TV, you'll have basic but familiar controls on hand. You can pause, rewind and fast-forward live TV and go up or down a channel right from the toolbar in the player. What you can't do is just hit record and have it save the current show. It's also worth noting that whenever you hit live TV, you'll immediately go back to your last viewed channel.

Recordings have to be scheduled from the TV guide, and it's fairly straightforward. Selecting a show from the guide provides a number of options, and specifically for recording you've got two main ones: Quick record and record.

NextPVR

Quick record will use your default settings and record that one show. The record option provides a more thorough experience as shown above. Here you can choose to record just once or all new episodes in a season, as well as alter your default padding at the beginning and end. This is particularly useful for something like a live sports event where it could easily overrun.

You can also tell NextPVR how many recordings to keep, either one or all. If you want to save the whole series, you can, but if you want it to automatically only keep the new episode, that's no problem either.

The bottom line

NextPVR

This guide only scratches the surface of what you can do with NextPVR. There's a lot more you can tweak, as well as being able to play music, pictures, and DVDs. This covers the basics of getting set up to watch and record live TV, and you'll have a solid experience with NextPVR.

The app seems limited to run only up to 1920 x 1200, so there's no HiDPI support, but that's probably the only real critique. It's a very powerful, full-featured application that you can either use on its own or integrate with something like Kodi.

If you're a NextPVR pro with any tips to share, be sure to drop them into the comments.

Download NextPVR for Windows

cord cutting

Help & How To

Windows Apps

You can stop your device from uploading parts of updates to other peers locally and on the internet, and in this guide, we'll show you how.

Windows 10 uses its Delivery Optimization feature to download updates more quickly onto your device using multiple sources (in addition to Microsoft), including from random PCs on the internet and local network. However, participating in this peer-to-peer network, it also means that Windows 10 will use your internet connection to upload updates to other PCs.

Although this mechanism helps to reduce data usage to keep systems updated and prevents saturating the Windows Update service, there could be scenarios where you may want to disable the feature. For example, if you don't like the idea of Microsoft using your internet. You use a limited connection. You have privacy concerns, or you just want to stay in full control of your bandwidth.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to stop uploading updates to other computers on the internet or local network.

How to stop uploading updates on Windows 10

In order to block your PC from uploading updates to other devices, use these steps:

Open Settings.
Click on Update & Security.
Click on Windows Update.
Click the Advanced options link.
Click the Deliver Optimization link.
Turn off the Allow downloads from other PCs toggle switch.

Once you've completed the steps, your device will no longer upload or download updates for Windows 10 or apps from other computers on the local network or internet. However, you'll still be able to obtain updates directly from the Microsoft servers.

If you're just concern about the upload usage, you can keep the Allow downloads from other PCs toggle switch turned on, and select PCs on my local network option. This configuration will allow uploading updates, but only to devices within the local network, not the internet.

Of course, this is a good option as long as multiple computers with the same version of Windows 10 are connected to the local network.

How to stop uploading updates on a limited connection

By design, Delivery Optimization doesn't download or upload updates to other computers when your device is using a limited internet connection.

If you want to stop sending parts of updates only on a limited connection, you need to make sure the network adapter is configured as metered.

Open Settings.
Click on Network & Internet.
Click on Wi-Fi or Ethernet depending on the adapter you're using to connect to the network.
Click the network connection.
Turn on the Metered connection toggle switch.

After completing the steps, your computer will stop sending updates to PCs on the internet, and uploads will be allowed on any other connection that isn't configured as metered.

How to slowdown uploading updates on Windows 10

If you don't want to stop uploads completely, you can limit the upload speed of updates using these steps:

Open Settings.
Click on Update & Security.
Click on Windows Update.
Click the Advanced options link.
Click the Deliver Optimization link.
Turn on the Allow downloads from other PCs toggle switch.
Select the PCs on my local network, and PCs on the Internet option.
Click the Advanced options link.
Check the Limit much bandwidth is used for uploading updates to other PCs on the Internet option.
Use the slider to adjust the percentage of bandwidth you want to dedicate to uploads.

Optionally, you can check the Monthly upload limit option and use the slider to specify the monthly upload quota. Then when your device reaches the limit, it'll stop sending updates.

Once you've completed the steps, your system will continue to send parts of updates to other devices on the internet, but the upload bandwidth will be limited to your new configuration.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

Kodi

Kodi is a terrific piece of media software, so why not make it even more useful by adding a DVR.

Watching live TV is only part of the experience of cord cutting. If you previously had cable, then you'll probably have had a DVR nestled beneath your TV set. Without that, it's down to you to come up with an alternative.

One piece of software you can use to make the whole experience much more pleasant is Kodi. It won't watch and record shows all on its own, but it's not very difficult to set up, either.

Here's what you need to know.

For the purposes of this guide I'll be using a HDHomeRun Connect and NextPVR. Other hardware and software combinations are available, and much of the general process will be the same.

How to set up and use a HDHomeRun on Windows 10

Watching live TV in Kodi

Kodi

The first thing to do is to get setup watching live TV in Kodi. There's a full guide for that linked below, the only difference in the setup will be that here we'll be using NextPVR as the PVR client in Kodi.

NextPVR isn't the only choice, but in this case, there are a couple of things that make it the top choice. First, it's free to use, with donations to the developer accepted (and you really should throw them a couple of bucks), compared to the $35 a year for HDHomeRun DVR. The other reason to use the NextPVR Kodi PVR add-on over the HDHomeRun one is that the latter doesn't enable Kodi's built-in TV guide to schedule recordings from your HDHomeRun DVR.

There is an HDHomeRun add-on, but in this instance, we're more interested in making the native Kodi interface work for us. The guides below will walk you through setting up both NextPVR and then live TV on Kodi.

How to set up NextPVR for Windows

How to watch live TV in Kodi

How to use Kodi to record live TV

Kodi

Assuming your NextPVR DVR set up went as expected, once you've enabled its front-end client in Kodi (found in the PVR client section of the add-on browser), the software should do the rest.

First, a couple of things I recommend: When enabling NextPVR hit the advanced tab and enable timeshifting so you can pause and rewind live TV. Also, enable the option to download channel artwork if that's something you'll care about.

There are also some settings inside Kodi worth looking at. Select the settings cog then PVR & live TV settings.

Kodi

Under recording, add padding at the start and finish of recordings to make sure you account for the inevitable that TV channels don't run exactly to schedule.
Instant recording action will allow you to either record the current show, record for a fixed period of time or you can set Kodi, so it asks you which you prefer every time. Personally, I like to be asked, since sometimes I'll want to record a run of shows one after the other. The default time is set to 120mins, but you can alter as you see fit.
Under general set Kodi to use channel numbers from the backend. This means it'll use the same data as NextPVR when you set that up. It's useful to make sure the two match in case you ever go between the apps for whatever reason.

There's much more than that to tinker with, but those are some basic settings that will get you off to a good start.

Managing recordings

Kodi

Recording shows can happen in a couple of ways. The first is by simply clicking on the record button when you're watching a channel. The default record action will then depend on what you set up in the steps above.

The alternative is by going into the TV guide, selecting the show you want to record, then clicking record. If you click add timer instead, you can set up Kodi to record all or just new episodes of a show. To amend these at any time simply go into timer rules in the main TV window.

Kodi

Wherever you actually schedule the recordings, though, all the information and all the shows become available through Kodi. Selecting recordings will open up your entire collection of DVR stored shows.

In the main TV menu you'll see blocks for each of your upcoming recordings, but for a more in-depth glance at what's coming up just click on the timers. Here' you'll see all your individual episodes currently set to record. To break it down by series, go back into timer rules.

Using Kodi to add a DVR to Xbox One

The above steps are based on Kodi 17.6 on Windows 10, but the same basic process will be applicable to the Xbox One. However, as the version on your console right now is an early alpha of version 18, much doesn't work.

For example, it's possible to get live TV into Kodi, but the NextPVR plugin doesn't seem to work. So for the purposes of this guide, the Xbox One is ruled out. Other PVR frontends may see better success, likewise dedicated add-ons such as HDHomeRun or Plex.

But for now, it's still very much a work in progress. Though there's nothing to suggest this won't be an easy way to watch and record shows through the Xbox One when version 18 launches properly.

Download Kodi from the Microsoft Store

kodi

Help & How To

Xbox

Task Manager now displays performance data about your graphics cards, and in this guide, we'll tell you how to view and understand this information.

Starting with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, the Task Manager introduces the ability to track Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) performance data to understand better how these resources are being utilized, now that GPUs are becoming increasingly important in computing.

This means that every GPU configured on your computer will now appear within the "Performance" tab displaying real-time resources utilization. Also, in the "Processes" tab, you can now see which processes are actively accessing the graphics processor, as well as video memory analytics in the "Details" tab.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to check and get started tracking GPU performance data using Task Manager.

How to check if GPU performance will appear on your PC

Although Task Manager doesn't have any special requirements to monitor system resources, such as the processor, memory, storage, and network adapters, things are a bit different to expose GPU information.

On Windows 10, the GPU information is available in Task Manager using the Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM), which is a special driver architecture that video cards must support to render the desktop and apps on the screen.

Inside WDDM, there's the Graphics Kernel that includes a scheduler (VidSch) and video memory manager (VidMm), which are responsible for making decisions about using GPU resources.

Task Manager gathers the GPU performance data directly from the Graphics Kernel's scheduler and video memory manager for both integrated and dedicated GPUs, but in order to work version 2.0 or later of WDDM is required.

To check if your device supports GPU performance data in Task Manager, do the following:

Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
Type the following command to open DirectX Diagnostic Tool and press Enter:
dxdiag.exe
Click the Display tab.
On the right, under "Drivers," check the Driver Model information.

If the Driver Model reads WDDM 2.0 or later, then Task Manager should list all your GPUs under the "Performance" tab.

How to track GPU performance using Task Manager

In order to track GPU performance data using the Task Manager, simply right-click the Taskbar, and select Task Manager. If you're in the compact mode, click the More details button, and then click the Performance tab.

Quick Tip: Using the old Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut will get you to Task Manager more quickly.

Performance tab

If your machine supports WDDM version 2.0 or later, the Performance tab will list your GPU in the left pane. In the case that you have multiple GPUs, each one will be named using a number that corresponds to its physical location. For example, GPU 0, GPU 1, GPU 2, etc.

Windows 10 also includes support for linking multiple GPUs using Nvidia SLI and AMD Crossfire. When one of these configurations are detected, the "Performance" tab will name each link using a number (for example, Link 0, Link 1, etc.), and you'll be able to see and inspect each GPU within the link.

GPU

Inside the graphics card page, you'll find aggregated performance data mostly divided into two sections.

The GPU section includes current information regarding the GPU engines, not individual GPU cores. (It's worth to define that a GPU engine is made up of many GPU cores.)

Task Manager, by default, will display the four most interesting GPU engines, which typically can include 3D, Copy, Video Decode, and Video Processing, but you can change these views by clicking the name and picking another engine.

You can even change the graph view to a single engine by right-clicking anywhere within the section and selecting the Single engine option from the menu.

Memory

Immediately after the engines graphs, you'll find the video memory utilization and summary.

Task Manager shows two types of video memory, including dedicated and shared memory.

The dedicated memory is the memory that will only be used by the graphics card. Usually, this is your VRAM on discrete cards or the amount of memory a computer is configured to explicitly reserved for the integrated graphics card, but the CPU can still use it.

At the bottom right, you'll also notice the "Hardware reserved memory," which represents the amount of memory reserved for the video driver.

The amount of dedicated memory in this section represents the total amount of memory actively being utilized across the processes, while the amount of shared memory in this section represents the amount of system memory consumed for graphics.

Also, in the left pane, under the GPU name, you'll see the current total aggregated performance utilization. However, it's worth noting that Task Manager uses the percentage of the busiest engine to represent the overall usage.

To see performance data in action, run an application that makes real use of the GPU, or you can try playing a game.

Processing tab

You can also track GPU performance through the "Processing" tab. In the section, you'll find an aggregated summary per-process currently running.

The GPU column shows the usage of the most active engine to represent the overall utilization for a particular process across all GPUs.

However, to avoid confusion if multiple engines report 100 percent utilization, there's a GPU Engine column that reports the exact GPU and engine utilized by the process in question.

Under the "Process" tab, at the top of the column, you'll also find the total of resource utilization combining every GPU configured on your device.

If you don't see these columns, right-click a column, and check the GPU and GPU Engine options.

Details tab

By default, the "Details" tab doesn't display any GPU information, but you can always right-click a column, click the Select columns option, and check enable these options:

GPU.
GPU Engine.
Dedicated GPU memory.
Shared GPU memory.

The memory columns display the total amount of shared and dedicated video memory currently being used by a particular process. The GPU and GPU Engine show the same information that the "Processing" tab provides.

When using the "Details" tab, you just need to be aware that adding the used memory by each process can end up being larger than the total available memory as the shared memory will be counted multiple times. This information is useful to understand the memory usage per-process, but you should be using the "Performance" tab to see a more accurate overall video utilization.

Wrapping things up

Although Microsoft says that Task Manager will provide users more accurate GPU performance data than third-party tools, it's worth noting that these changes are still a work in progress that the company plans to improve over time.

What do you think about GPU information now available in Task Manager? Tell us in the comments below.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

Get ready to sail the seven seas with the Sea of Thieves closed beta – here's how you can play.

One of Microsoft's most anticipated games of 2018, Sea of Thieves, is set to kick off its closed beta soon, with nearly a week of testing set to occur. Taking place across both Xbox One and Windows 10, the beta will set you free with your pirate crew for a sneak peek of the full experience.

Ahead of the game's formal debut on March 20, players will soon have the chance to explore the seas, with access to a fraction of its final content. And provided you meet the prerequisites, your first adventure likely isn't far away. Here's what you need to know about the Sea of Thieves beta and how to play for yourself.

See at Microsoft Store See at Amazon

Sea of Thieves closed beta dates and times

The Sea of Thieves closed beta test kicks off on January 24, running for five days, before concluding on January 29. Throughout this time, a curated beta experience will be offered, with the goal of delivering an taster of what's to come. The game's developer, Rare, is keen to note that while a wide range of content will be accessible, it still aims to keep a "good selection of things" up its sleeves for players to discover at launch.

The Sea of Thieves beta will be playable across both supported platforms from 7 a.m. ET (4 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. UK time) on January 24. To conclude the beta period, servers are currently scheduled to shut off at 3 a.m. ET (12 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. UK time) on January 29.

How to play the Sea of Thieves closed beta

Unlike many video game betas, where players can simply install the game at their choosing, the Sea of Thieves beta is closed to qualified participants. Currently, Microsoft has three methods of accessing the beta – a digital pre-order via the Microsoft Store, a redeemable "Black Dog Pack" code, or being a registered member of the "Sea of Thieves Insider Programme." And as a "Play Anywhere" title, each of these provide access to both Xbox One and Windows 10 versions of the game.

For those who preordered Sea of Thieves digitally on Xbox One or Windows 10, the closed beta is already tied to your account. To install the game on Xbox One, you'll need to navigate to the "Ready to Install" section of "My games & apps," where the Sea of Thieves closed beta will be available for download. Alternatively, those on Windows 10 PCs are required to open the Microsoft Store, navigate to the ellipsis in the top right-hand corner and select "My Library." From here, the Sea of Thieves closed beta will be available for download.

The Black Dog Pack code is provided to those who preordered Sea of Thieves from a third-party reseller, outside of the Microsoft Store. For those who preordered from GameStop, Best Buy and Amazon, beta access is distributed via these codes. To redeem your code for use on Xbox One or Windows 10, navigate to microsoft.com/redeem and follow the on-screen steps to apply the code to your account.

Finally, Sea of Thieves closed beta access also comes via the Sea of Thieves Insider Programme, for those who enrolled as "Founders" prior to December 1, 2017. These are players who registered to join, either in an attempt to access previous alpha tests or secure access to the closed beta. Founders will be able to access the beta by opening the "Xbox Insider Hub" on Xbox One or Windows 10 and selecting the Sea of Thieves beta tile.

And with that, you should be ready to sail with your pirate crew. Are you planning to take part in the Sea of Thieves beta? Make sure to drop into the comments and share your plans for the game.

See at Microsoft Store See at Amazon

New Vs Used Laptops

Looking to buy a new laptop? There are so many options available, and you must choose whether to go new or used or refurbished, but we can help.

Should you wish to squeeze as much value out of your next laptop purchase, a refurbished or new option may appear rather enticing. While there can be some degree of risk involved with purchasing a used product, even from reputable retailers, we'll provide some helpful tips to ensure you're purchasing a laptop you'll be happy with.

Here are some things you should bear in mind when analyzing your options.

The savings

Used Acer Aspire S7

Buying a refurbished (or used) laptop can allow for some serious savings. While you're likely not going to be able to find each and every laptop model available for purchase, this option is worth considering for those seeking a system for work, studying or general use. Companies like Dell make it easy to see just what is available second-hand on their websites.

As an example, at the time of this writing, an Inspiron 5000 (5565) priced new at $700 is only $343 at Dell's Outlet, and there are scratches and dents listed on the product page. A fully working laptop with only a few physical defects is more than 50 percent less than the new asking price.

The downside to going with official outlet stores is you'll be relying on available stock. Wanting to pick up the latest XPS 13 from Dell is likely going to warrant a full purchase if there's a specific configuration you had in mind that isn't available as used. Using official channels like company stores have benefits, including warranties, less risk, and buyer protection.

Many enterprise customers hand back units, which are then sold at more consumer-friendly prices, making it possible for you to easily snag a deal.

On the other hand, we have platforms like Amazon that make it simple to find a deal before adding a laptop to the shopping cart. Just keep an eye out for "new & used" prices on product pages. Generally speaking, if you're strapped for cash or do not wish to spend more than $1,000 on a new laptop, going refurbished or used is a solid solution.

Used is NOT refurbished

Used Surface Keyboard

The terms used and refurbished can not really be used interchangeably. Refurbished laptops generally come from companies like Dell, as we covered above, and are restored by professionals to as good condition as possible. Steps may include taking units apart to check various components, including the battery, internal storage, power supply, ports, and other parts.

You'll generally need to go through manufacturers and select retailers for trustworthy refurbished laptops.

Laptops that are classified as "used" are sold by consumers after they've upgraded to a better model, decided the laptop wasn't quite what they need, or they simply need to raise some funds. Used laptops aren't checked in-depth, and as such, there could potentially be an issue with a component. Platforms like eBay and Craigslist also do not check products prior to listing.

Retailers like Amazon offer the best of both worlds. Sellers can list a used laptop, but it's also possible to locate certified refurbished laptops that come with a limited warranty. It's recommended you spend significant time doing research. Here are some handy tips to buying a refurbished or used laptop:

Check the laptop right away for any defects that weren't listed by the seller. This includes opening up the devices to have a quick peek inside.
Check for any warranties.
Read the fine print to see what's covered by the warranty.
Consider using a credit card to pay for used laptops.
Check return policies.

If you plan to do work, watch videos, write up email and documents, and engage in general internet usage, a refurbished or used laptop is an ideal option.

Brand new

Dell XPS 13

Buying a laptop is much like purchasing a car as it depends on personal preference. You may not have any desire to own a brand new laptop, and if you're also looking to save some money, refurbished and used options are certainly the way to go. That said, there's really nothing better than receiving original, sealed packaging, knowing you're the first person to use the laptop. That's just like a new automobile when you sit in the vehicle for the first time at the dealership.

Keep an eye out for sales, particularly on the Amazon which holds discounts across a range of laptops. Buying new can be considered the best choice for those seeking high-end hardware, notably gaming and professional laptops.

In summary, here's a quick recap:

New — Buying new is costly, but you'll be the first to use the laptop with full warranty.
Refurbished — These PCs are discounted by manufacturers and retailers with good QA. They are usually covered by at least a limited warranty.
Used — These are cheapest, but without QA or guarantees, relying solely on the word of the seller.

Green Man Gaming

UK-based Green Man Gaming (GMG) is a popular, well-stocked reseller of PC games from various different online services. It offers frequent deals, and for folks who sign up to be a VIP, exclusive additional discount codes are frequent.

GMG also offers loot boxes sometimes, a lucky dip of game codes for a very low price. You don't know what you'll get but it's nice to be surprised sometimes.

See at Green Man Gaming

CDKeys

CDkeys

CDKeys is an excellent source of game codes. It's not only for PCs, but its largest offering is for just that. In its wide catalog of codes, you'll usually find some solid discounts on popular and current titles, as well as for preorders for upcoming games.

CDKeys is a respectable store used by gamers all over the world. When you use it, you're still buying keys directly from official stores, just at a (usually) lower price.

See at CDKeys

Humble Store and Humble Monthly

Humble Store

You've probably heard of the Humble Bundle and how its charity-supporting game bundles can net you some top titles for a low price. Beyond these one-time only offers, Humble also has a full store and a monthly subscription service that will always give you some hot PC games for $12 every month.

Recent monthly bundles have included titles such as Total War: Warhammer and The Witness, which on their own are worth more than $12. The Humble Store also has frequent sales with big discounts, and if you sign up for it you get a newsletter letting you know when the deals are going down.

See at Humble Store

Amazon

Amazon isn't just for physical goods, and you can buy digital game codes there, as well. As is often the case with Amazon, you'll find great deals from time to time.

They are a little more difficult to highlight, with Amazon being a huge store for much more than PC games, but if you know what you're looking for you can usually find yourself a saving. We suggest taking your time on Amazon and kicking around to compare prices.

See at Amazon

G2A

G2A has had a reputation for being a little, well ... shady in the past. But there's no denying it's a great place to get PC games. Part of the beauty is that you can often buy vastly discounted codes from G2A vendors.

When you're buying from someone other than the actual site you're on, you want to use caution. G2A Shield is worth implementing, and it's only a couple of bucks a month if you're going to be shopping there regularly. Essentially it protects you and your money in the event of a purchase going wrong.

You can also now use PayPal as a form of payment, alongside G2A's payment service and a number of other methods. PayPal always gets our vote, though.

See at G2A

Xbox Play Anywhere

Strictly speaking this isn't a way of saving money on games, at least not if you only play on PC. But, if you like to dabble in both Xbox and PC, then buying digital copies of some games from the Microsoft Store will give you the game on both platforms for one purchase.

Games like Forza 7 and Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2, and Cuphead are all Xbox Play Anywhere. The list grows every month. It's not for everyone, but if you are in the position to game on both Xbox and PC, it's definitely worth a look.

Complete Xbox Play Anywhere games list

Your tips

These are some of the places we get discounts on our PC games, but what about you? Drop your suggestions in the comments and share the savings.

Updated January 23, 2018: We added G2A and Xbox Play Anywhere to our list of ways to save a few bucks on PC games.

pc gaming

Help & How To

Windows Games

Which version of Monster Hunter: World is best for you?

Following its success on rival console platforms, the Monster Hunter series is on track to make its Xbox One debut this month. Bringing its beast-slaying action to the console, Monster Hunter: World will be the most ambitious title in the series yet, with revamped graphics, a new open-world structure, and seamless co-op integration.

With several versions of Monster Hunter: World packing in-game content and preorder bonuses, it's harder than ever to choose which is best for you. Ahead of the game's release on January 26, we wrapped up each of the game's editions set to drop at launch.

Monster Hunter: World preorder bonuses

Depending on where you preorder your copy of Monster Hunter: World, various bonuses may be up for grabs. Across most retailers, the "Origin Set armor" and "Fair Wind charm" are included with preorders, which provide in-game buffs to your character. Alternatively, some retailers also have physical goods available with preorders. Here's a recap of preorder bonuses across major U.S. retailers.

Amazon:Origin Set armor, Fair Wind Charm.
Microsoft Store (digital):Origin Set armor, Fair Wind Charm.
GameStop:Origin Set armor, Fair Wind Charm.
Best Buy:SteelBook Monster Hunter World 1-Disc Blu-ray Case, Origin Set armor, Fair Wind Charm.

Monster Hunter: World editions

Monster Hunter: World (disc)

The standard version Monster Hunter: World costs $59.99, with additional bonus content depending on the retailer. This version of the game is most common and will be stocked by the majority of video game retailers. Some retailers in Europe also stock a special variant of the base game packaged with a shifting lenticular cover.

See at Microsoft Store See at Amazon See at GameStop See at Best Buy

Monster Hunter: World (digital)

A digital version of Monster Hunter: World is also available for $59.99, sold as a pre-paid code to be redeemed via Xbox Live. Most retailers that stock codes will distribute codes ahead of launch as Xbox Live currency, to give players the chance to preorder and pre-load the title. Like digital copies purchased directly from the Xbox Store, these copies of the game will unlock at 12:01 a.m. in your time zone.

See at Microsoft Store See at Amazon See at GameStop

Monster Hunter: World Digital Deluxe Edition

For those looking for the complete Monster Hunter: World experience, a higher-tier "Digital Deluxe Edition" is available for $69.99. Offered only in a digital form, this version of the game provides access to exclusive in-game content for use during your monster-hunting adventures.

Included is the Samurai armor set, alongside the "Zen,""Ninja Star" and "Sumo Slap" gestures. Other cosmetic items are also bundled in this pack, including the "MH All-Stars" and "Sir Loin" sticker sets, the "Wyvern" face paint and "Topknot" hairstyle. This content will also be available for purchase after launch to standard edition owners, via a "Deluxe Kit" upgrade.

See at Microsoft Store See at Amazon See at GameStop

Monster Hunter: World Collector's Edition

For true Monster Hunter fans, the game's "Collector's Edition" offers a premium package packed with goodies. While it won't come cheap, priced at $149.99, this version includes a Nergigante statue, 32-page hardcover art book, and a digital copy of the soundtrack. Although a physical disc-based copy of Monster Hunter: World is provided, a redeemable code for the Deluxe Kit also comes in the box.

The "Collector's Edition" might be tempting for many but this GameStop-exclusive product is currently out of stock in the U.S. With a restock being unlikely, foreign stores or local resellers may be your best bet, though likely at a higher price point.

See at GameStop

Monster Hunter: World merchandise

If you want to take your love for Monster Hunter: World to the next level, we recommend heading over to "Numskull"– the officially partnered distributor of its merchandise. Among its offerings are officially-branded shirts, caps, and mugs, as well as other unique Monster Hunter: World goods. Prices vary from item to item, though all come in below $30.

See at Numskull

Which version of Monster Hunter: World are you planning to pick up on launch day? Make sure to drop into the comments below with your pick!

Sea of Thieves has a habit of throwing you into the deep end and letting you figure out how to play. We're here to help — grab this rope.

Sea of Thieves is an upcoming open world pirate adventure game from Rare, known for classic titles like Banjo Kazooie and GoldenEye. It's been a few years since we've seen a big title from them, but they've brought their triple-A game to Sea of Thieves, which is incredibly promising even in its current early state.

Whether you're in the open beta or waiting on the full game, here are some essential tips and tricks for newbie pirates striking out on the seven seas for the first time, as well as some general information on how the gameplay loop works. And you can always hit the view key to check the controls in-game. Yarrghhh.

How to download and access the beta

1. Choosing a ship and communication

While this might not be the case in the full game, in the closed beta, you're offered the chance to instantly jump into a game on a larger, four-player ship, or a smaller, two-player ship. You can even choose to captain the two-player ship by yourself, and it's totally doable, but only recommended for more experienced players.

Once you have selected a ship type, you have the opportunity to invite friends using the X button. Don't worry if you don't have a full crew, though, because Sea of Thieves will queue you up with a random stranger to fill up any empty slots in your entourage.

Sea of Thieves uses proximity voice chat as the primary method of communication, but you can also use text-based communication tools by pressing up on the D-pad, while using the right joystick to select a text response.

2. Before you set sail, grab some quests

Sea of Thieves revolves around questing, much like any other connected RPG, but here they work a little bit different. Sea of Thieves quests are called voyages, and must be purchased from the game's various trade factions, who each have their own goals and interests. In the closed beta there's presently only one trade company available, but Rare is going to add many more in future updates and when the game launches proper in March 2018.

The Gold Hoarders are all about treasure. They will pay handsomely for pirates willing to undertake dangerous missions to find buried chests. Quests are purchased using gold coins, but the first one is free.

Once you have the voyage information, you travel to your ship and vote for the voyage on the captain's table. Each player can submit a voyage for review and voting. Once the voyage has been chosen, you will receive maps, riddles, and other clues pointing you to where the treasure is. There are no arrows or waypoints in Sea of Thieves; you have to navigate the seas old-school style. Once you have found the treasure, use your map table again to find an outpost, where you can exchange the goods for gold coins.

As you complete more quests for the Gold Hoarders, they will offer more dangerous and complex quests, involving unique game mechanics. For example, we heard reports of a cursed treasure chest, haunted by a crying ghost, whose tears constantly flooded the ship.

2. How to sail

Sailing in Sea of Thieves appears complex at first, but is actually quite intuitive once you get going. Ships are divided into multiple components, depending on size, and players can need to work together to pilot their ship across the ocean.

Sails have to be angled and deployed before you can move. Angling sails towards the wind will give you a speed boost, and depending on the length of your sails, you can either go faster or slower depending on the situation.
The anchor must also be raised, this can be sped up by multiple people working together. You can also drop the anchor at speed to perform a handbrake-style turn. This can really help in naval combat situations.
The larger ships are really slow to turn, while the smaller ones turn much faster, allowing them to dodge projectiles. Each helm has a central position, hinted at by controller vibration.
Use your map, compass and map table below deck to figure out your heading and direction. Most voyage maps and riddles tell you the names of the places you need to head to.
Your ship can, and will, get damaged. Collisions and cannon battles can severely screw up your ship, leaving gaping holes which flood your vessel with water. You can use buckets to quickly throw water overboard, and use planks (found in various barrels) to repair ship damage.

When you've reached your destination, your maps and riddles will offer clues as to where exactly you must dig.

3. Progression

There are a number of ways to progress in Sea of Thieves, but in the beta, they all revolve around gold accrual. Rare has already stated that progress in Sea of Thieves will be cosmetic, focusing on upgrading your character's style, weapon skins, ship customization options, and more unannounced options coming in the full game.

There are a few shops around the "outposts" found in the game, which can be discovered on the map table. You can use these to purchase new equipment styles, which can then be equipped either back on your ship or using lockers, usually outside the shops.

Every time you hand in a treasure chest for the Gold Hoarders, you gain reputation ranks with their company, revealing new, increasingly perilous quests as you grow your personal pirate legend.

4. General tips

Here are a few other tips you should know before setting sail on the seven seas.

If your ship sinks, or you're lost overboard and can't get back to your ship for whatever reason, a mermaid will show up and offer quick passage back so you can get going again.
If you die, you end up on the ferry of the damned with other dead players. You can chat for a bit, but soon you'll be allowed passage back into the realm of the living.
In combat, you can block with the left trigger on Xbox, and do a charge attack with the right trigger. Enemies are typically easy to dispatch when alone, but in groups, they can be pretty deadly.
The water is full of sharks, but also, sometimes, treasure.
Play with your equipment! From the radial menus, you can try out musical instruments, drink grog, and even use a spyglass for viewing the horizon at range.
Sea of Thieves is full of easter eggs inspired by stories and occurrences from within the game world. Keep an eye out!
Press down on the d-pad to access emotes.

And that's all for now, matey, yarghhh!

These are the basics you'll need to get started in Sea of Thieves' open beta. While there are still various other mechanics and systems under wraps, the beta is designed to give you a taste of what's on the horizon, Rare says. Who knows what else is lurking in the ocean depths?

If you're in the beta, let us know your thoughts in the comments, and if not, keep an eye on our social feed on Twitter or on our Mixer channel for code drops, we have many to give away!

The Sea of Thieves beta runs until January 29th, 2018, and the full game launches on March 20th, 2018, for Xbox One, Windows 10, and Xbox Game Pass.

How to download and access the beta

See at Microsoft Store See at Amazon

When configuring multiple PCs to use the same custom power plan, the PowerCFG command tool can help deploy your settings quicker.

On Windows 10, you can easily create, edit, and delete power plans to optimize the performance and power consumption of your computer. The only caveat is that if you have a lot of devices, these settings won't sync across all of them with your Microsoft account, and manually configuring each computer could end up taking a long time.

Luckily, you can save time (and reduce possible mistakes) using the PowerCFG command tool to export the custom settings into a ".pow" file that you can then quickly deploy to other devices. You can even use this method to keep a backup of your custom power settings that you can roll back after doing a clean install of Windows 10.

In this Windows 10 guide, we walk you through the steps to export and import power plans on different Windows PCs.

How to export a power plan using PowerCFG

Before proceeding, make sure to create a custom power plan with the settings you want to deploy, and then follow these steps to export the configurations using the PowerCFG command tool:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt.
Right-click the result and select Run as administrator.
Type the following command to view a list of the available power schemes and press Enter:
powercfg -list
Using a left-click of the mouse, click and select the Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) name for the power plan you want to export, and right-click the selection to copy it to the clipboard.
Type the following command to export the power plan you want to deploy to other devices and press Enter:
powercfg -export F:\path\to\folder\power-plan-name.pow guid-plan-name
For example:
powercfg -export F:\PowerSchemes\my-optimized-plan.pow 034fdfed-7679-4f1a-b274-1e0b5d583b97
- The above command exports the "My Optimized Plan" settings from the my-optimized-plan.pow file to a folder called "PowerSchemes" located on a USB drive.

Quick Tip: If you're using the same Microsoft account on multiple computers, you can store the exported file in your OneDrive folder and then just import the settings by pointing the command to this location.

How to import a power plan using PowerCFG

After exporting the settings, you'll end up with ".pow" file extension that you can import and set as the new default power plan on other devices.

To import a power plan, connect the USB drive with the ".pow" file on another device, and use these steps to import the plan:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt.
Right-click the result and select Run as administrator.
Type the following command to view a list of the available power schemes and press Enter:
powercfg -list
Ensure that the name of the power plan you're trying to import doesn't already exist to avoid confusion.
Type the following command to import the power plan you want to deploy to other devices and press Enter:
powercfg -import F:\path\to\folder\power-plan-name.pow
For example:
powercfg -import F:\PowerSchemes\my-optimized-plan.pow
Type the following command to list the power schemes to figure out the GUID for the new plan and press Enter:
powercfg -list
Type the following command to activate the new power plan and press Enter:
powercfg -setactive guid-name
For example:
powercfg -setactive 86e8df57-a81c-4edc-bad9-c69662938659
Type the following command to verify the new power plan and press Enter:
powercfg -list
- If you imported the new settings correctly, the new power plan should appear in the list with an asterisk mark indicating that it's active.

Alternatively, you can also confirm that the changes have been applied on Control Panel> Hardware and Sound> Power Options, where the new plan should be listed under "Choose or customize a power plan."

Once you complete these steps, the device will use the new custom settings to optimize power usage, and then the only thing left to do is repeat the steps on the remaining devices.

Wrapping things up

This method lets you deploy the same power settings to multiple devices in many scenarios, and you can keep a backup of your custom plan, but it's only meant for small environments. If you manage a large network, there are other ways to automate the deployment process of these settings.

This guide is focused on Windows 10, but the ability to export and import power plans has been around for a long time, and you can refer to these instructions even if you're running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

How to tell if your PC has been hacked

Would you even know if your PC had been compromised?

The internet is a massive, wonderful place that has changed the way we live. While most of us go about our business without thinking of harming anyone else, others would like nothing more than to infect your Windows 10 PC with malware or hack their way into your life to steal sensitive information. If you think you might be in trouble, have a look at these telltale signs, as well as some things you can do about them.

How to tell if you've been hacked

While we won't get into the nitty-gritty of cybersecurity, it's good to keep these signs in mind. If you're experiencing any of these issues, there's likely some form of malware on your PC, or your accounts have been compromised.

You're sending friends spam email

No one likes receiving spam, especially if it's from a close friend or colleague. You might not notice that there are a ton of messages going out, but if someone tells you that you're bombarding them with spam, your PC is likely compromised. Let them know that they should not open any messages from you for the time being, and they shouldn't click any links.

You're locked out of your user accounts

Whether online or local, finding that you're locked out of your user accounts is a big sign that you've been compromised. This most likely has to do with a phishing scheme, where someone spoofs a legitimate service to get your credentials. With the case of online accounts, notify the service and let them know that you believe you've been hacked. You'll also want to change all of your other passwords, because they could have been compromised, as well.

If you notice that your local passwords have changed, it's time to run your antivirus software and hope it can catch whatever's infecting your PC.

Your antivirus is no longer running

Windows Defender

Did Windows Defender or whatever third-party antivirus you use stop running on its own? Check for any issues (like an update being seriously required), but know that this is usually a clear sign that your PC has been infected. Likewise, if you can't get into your Task Manager, you know it's time to get busy removing the malware.

Your PC has new software installed

Are you noticing some weird programs in Task Manager that run when your PC boots? Do they often hog resources? Do they frequently request permission to pass through your firewall? These programs might have been included with other software you downloaded and might installed secretly when you installed something else.

If you're suspicious that some programs running on your PC shouldn't be there, check out Microsoft's Process Explorer to see exactly what each program is doing and why it's running in the first place.

You're seeing malicious pop-ups

One of the most horrifying views you can have on a PC is a browser that's absolutely jam-packed with extra toolbars. While the major browsers have done a decent job of weeding out the worst offenders, a lot still get through, especially on PCs with users who don't understand the danger.

If you're constantly seeing shady pop-ups while browsing, or you're being redirected to strange websites when clicking links, check to see if your browser has extra toolbars installed that you don't remember adding. Remove them, run your antimalware software, and test things out.

Your PC has slowed to a halt

Has your PC lost some of its legs? Does it take forever to boot Windows and load programs? Are you ready to tear your hair out? A PC taking a serious hit to performance in a short amount of time usually means it's busy doing other things, like serving the malware that's infecting it.

You can try these tips for boosting performance, but if the decline was seemingly overnight, you're likely dealing with a larger issue.

Your network activity has gone through the roof

This is a problem that's especially damaging for anyone on a metered internet connection. No one wants to go over their data limit, but malware could not care less. If you receive an alert from your ISP that your network activity has exceeded its limit and you know you didn't do anything out of the ordinary, your PC is likely working for someone else.

Use our guide to managing wireless networks to monitor and determine whether or not your PC is making malicious connections.

Your social media accounts are posting on their own

I don't remember posting that!

Has your Facebook account been especially active lately? Have you not personally logged in in weeks? Similar to the spam email problem, your friends on social media services might be seeing you post malicious links or strange advertising.

If you get a heads-up that your account is doing things that you didn't know of, you'll want to change your passwords and let people know to ignore any messages or requests for the time being. It's also important to reach out to the service to let them know that your account has been compromised.

Your mouse cursor is doing its own thing

If your mouse cursor is seen moving around your display, clicking on programs or links, things are probably pretty bad. Your PC is likely being controlled remotely, and at that point, it's time to burn it with fire. Or at least perform a complete reset of Windows. Hope you have some backups handy!

What to do if you've been hacked

Most of the above signs — unless only a certain account was compromised in a phishing scheme — mean it's time to either remove malware with software or completely reset your PC using backups, to get to a point before the infection occurred.

There are already plenty of articles written on Windows Central that can not only help you deal with removing malware, but also help you prevent it from ever happening.

Prevention

Removal

Recovery

For those who don't know, here's how to redeem codes for Xbox One games, subscriptions, and credit.

Just received a redeemable code for Xbox One? Codes are Microsoft's method of sharing subscriptions, store credit and games outside of Xbox Live, with 25-character keys for redemption online. And no matter what your code provides, Microsoft offers a seamless method of applying them to an account. Here's how to redeem Xbox One codes and access its contents on your console.

How to redeem a code on Xbox One

One of the most common ways of redeeming codes for digital items is directly through the console, via its integrated Microsoft Store. Using this method, associated items will be automatically received and instantly begin downloading.

Open the Home menu on your Xbox One console.
Press RB four times to arrive at the Store tab
Select the Use a code tile.
Enter your 25-character code using the on-screen keyboard.
Press the Menu button.
Select Confirm to add the product to your account.

For subscriptions and store credit, the benefits will now be applied to your account. For downloadable content, installation progress can be viewed under the "Queue" tab of "My games & apps."

How to redeem a code on PC or mobile

Microsoft also allows for code redemption when away from the console, via an online code redemption page. This method is especially useful when for copying and pasting codes received digitally, or simply typing with the convenience of a keyboard.

Go to microsoft.com/redeem.
Enter your Microsoft account credentials when prompted, unless already signed in.
Enter your 25-character code.
Click Next.
Click Confirm to add the product to your account.

When codes are redeemed through this method, subscriptions and store credit will be automatically applied to your account. Downloadable content will be handed off to your Xbox One and begin installing, provided "Instant-on" mode is enabled, and your console has enough storage space. If the download doesn't start, navigate to the "Ready to install" tab of "My games & apps" to initiate it.

What is supersampling and why use it with Windows Mixed Reality?

Supersampling, to keep it simple, is when your graphics card (GPU) draws visuals at a higher resolution than it recognizes your HMD is using. The result is an image that's more dense than usual, usually resulting in a noticeably sharper image that's especially useful for reading text or for seeing other fine details.

Supersampling doesn't need to be used for every VR experience you come across in WMR, and you'll likely notice only a small difference (if any at all) when enjoying something that's primarily animated or cartoon-y.

If you're accessing SteamVR through WMR and you notice that the picture isn't quite up to snuff, you can turn up the supersampling to get a better picture. Keep in mind that your PC must have the power to output that higher resolution. If not, the entire experience will only degrade.

How to use supersampling with Windows Mixed Reality

Thanks to SteamVR integration with WMR, supersampling settings are readily available to be tweaked. Here are the steps required assuming you've already done a primary setup of Windows Mixed Reality and have installed the SteamVR toolkit.

Launch SteamVR from your Start menu, desktop, or taskbar. The WMR Portal will launch simultaneously.
Click the dropdown arrow next to SteamVR.
Click Settings.
Click Developer.
Click the checkbox next to Enable Advanced Supersample Filtering so that a checkmark appears. It should be checked by default.
Click and drag the slider on the Supersampling bar to raise or lower the value. You'll notice that the exact values listed below will change as you move the slider.

Keep than changes small and test things out as you go. If performance suffers, lower the supersampling value.

What about the Samsung Odyssey?

The Samsung Odyssey HMD has a higher resolution (1,440 x 1,600 per eye) right out of the box compared to the other WMR headsets (1,440 x 1,440 per eye) and especially compared to the HTC Vive (1,080 x 1,200 per eye).

While you can still easily change supersampling values with the Odyssey using the steps above, keep in mind that the supersampling value must be set higher in order to achieve the same result as you'd find with the lower-res headsets.

For your eyes, the difference in the Odyssey's picture might not be a lot even when pushing the supersampling value up to 2.5 or even 3, but your GPU will still feel the effects of that value as it would with any headset. If you start to smell burning plastic, I'd suggest you turn it down and enjoy as is.

More resources

Take a look at some other articles to help get acquainted with Windows Mixed Reality.

windows mixed reality

Help & How To

Virtual Reality

Windows Mixed Reality

If you're due for a hardware upgrade or just looking to make some cash out of your old computer, in this guide, we'll show you the steps to adequately prepare and sell your old PC.

After getting a new computer, people usually tend to sell the old device if they no longer find a use for it to recoup some of the cost. However, preparing the older machine for sale can sometimes be somewhat scary as you've probably used it for a long time, and it's filled with your personal data.

In addition, you always want to make sure that the device you're no longer using is running correctly without errors to get the most money and avoid problems selling it.

If you're planning to get rid of an old PC because you already bought a new one, or you want to get some cash for a new premium device (for example, for a Surface Book 2, Surface Laptop, or Dell XPS 13), you need to make sure to create a backup, erase your files, reinstall Windows 10 (or Windows 8.1), and then pick the right way to sell it.

In this guide, we'll walk you through the process to properly get your laptop, tablet, or desktop PC ready to sell it without giving away your personal information, whether it's running Windows 10 or Windows 8.1.

Things you need to do before selling your old PC

Backup your old PC

If you're planning to get some cash out of your device, the first thing you want to do is to create a full backup of your entire system. This is an essential step to make a copy of your files and to have a way to recover if something goes wrong, or you end up not selling your device, and you want to go back to your previous settings.

Always backup first!

While there are many third-party backup solutions, Windows 10 includes the System Image Backup utility that has been around since Windows 7, and it allows you to create an exact copy of everything that is on your device, including Windows installation files, apps, settings, and personal files.

If you're not sure about this feature, you can use our guide that walks you through step-by-step to create a full backup of your PC. (The instructions to create a backup also work on Windows 8.1.)

It's also recommended to copy your files to an external storage. This will make things easier to move your documents and pictures to your new PC.

OneDrive can be a great solution to move your personal files to a new device. If you're already using the service, your files are already backed up in the cloud, and just configuring the client on the new device will make file transfer a smooth process.

Important: It's also a good idea to have handy the proper licensing to install your applications again onto the new device (if applicable), and ensure that you save your passwords, this way, later on, you can sign back into the websites you frequently use.

Secure erase everything on your PC

The next step involves resetting your system to its default settings to allow the next owner to set up their new device, and for you to keep your data and information safe.

Reset your Windows 10 PC

On Windows 10, using the "Reset This PC" feature, you can securely erase everything on your PC, including installation files, settings, apps, and personal files.

To reset your device, do the following:

Open Settings.
Click on Update & Security.
Click on Recovery.
Under "Reset this PC," click the Get started button.
Click the Remove everything option.
Click the Remove files and clean the drive option.
Click the Reset button.

After completing the steps, everything will be deleted, and Windows 10 will reinstall with the default settings. When it's time to go through the out-of-box experience (OOBE), you can just power off the machine and package it nicely for selling.

Windows 10 OOBE beginning

Reset your Windows 8.1 PC

On Windows 8.1, you can also use the recovery feature to securely erase everything on your PC. However, unlike Windows 10, you'll need to provide the recovery media to complete the process. Unless, of course, your device doesn't include a recovery partition previously configured by your hardware manufacturer.

To reset your Windows 8.1 laptop or desktop PC, insert the recovery media as required, and then follow these steps:

Quick Tip: If you don't have the necessary files, you can check your PC manufacturer website to download the recovery files and instructions. Alternatively, you can download the Windows 8.1 ISO with the files to reset your device directly from Microsoft.

Open PC Settings.
Click on Update and recovery.
Click on Recovery.
Under "Remove everything and reinstall Windows 10," click the Get started button.
Click the Next button.
Click the Fully clean the drive option to erase everything on your device and start fresh with a copy of Windows 8.1.
Click the Reset button.

Once you've completed the steps, your computer will reset to its default settings. When it's time to go through the out-of-box experience (OOBE), you can simply turn it off and package it nicely for selling.

Windows 8.1 OOBE beginning

Sell your old PC

Up to this point, you've created a full backup, copied your personal files to an external storage, and you have securely reset your device to its factory default settings. The next and last step is to transform the old machine into cash.

Before putting your laptop, tablet, or desktop PC up for sale, you have to figure out how much money you can get out of it. The price always varies per device, demand, and condition.

If the computer you're trying to sell is a couple years old, it'll probably still available in major retailers. You can check the Microsoft Store, Amazon, and other online retailers, to see the current value of the product when it's brand new.

Then you want to check how much other people are asking for the same and equivalent product when is in used condition on sites like eBay. Research carefully and note the condition of the device and if they're offering free shipping.

Using your research information calculate the price and decide how you want to sell your device. If you don't know where to start, you can check our recommendations on the list below:

Important: Online services may not be available everywhere. Availability will depend on your geographical location.

Craigslist

Craigslist is perhaps one of the most popular services people use to sell almost anything locally. Start selling with this service is pretty straightforward, create an account, specify the product you're selling, upload photos to make it easier for people to see the product and its condition, set your price, and you're good to go.

Sell your PC on Craigslist

eBay

eBay is an online service that has been around for a long time, and it offers an auction-styled service to sell virtually anything, but you can always use the "buy now" feature to sell your desktop, laptop, or tablet more quickly.

Although using eBay, there are more chances to get rid of your device faster, as it's a service available internationally, but bear in mind that there are some fees involves using this service.

Sell your PC on eBay

Facebook Marketplace

A lot of people don't know this, but you can also use the Facebook Marketplace to sell your used desktop PC, laptop, tablet, or anything else. The service is free to use, and because it's integrated with the Facebook app, you can do everything from your phone, which many people may consider a much smoother process than other services.

Another good aspect of the Facebook Marketplace is that you can always check people profiles to make sure they're legit (but you still need to be careful about scammers).

Sell your PC on Facebook

Amazon

In addition to buying, you can also sell products on Amazon, and because this is a well-known online retailer, you're likely to get a lot of views increasing the chances of selling your used computer.

However, the caveat is that you'll need to pay fees to use Amazon, and you'll need to be ready to deal with returns.

Sell your PC on Amazon

Swappa

Swappa is yet another service that you can use to sell your used computer. Similar to other buy and sell online services, you can create an account and list the product, but something that sets Swappa apart is the ability to suggest the price you should sell your item. Also, to give customers more confidence to buy, items for sale must meet certain requirements.

The service is free to use, but you can pay a fee to boost the chances to sell your old device, and transactions go through PayPal, which means that there's a small fee involved.

Sell your PC on Swappa

Windows Central Marketplace

Windows Central also offers the ability to list your used computer for sale or trade. The only requirement is that you follow these guidelines as you post a new item.

Sell your PC on Windows Central

Additional selling tips

Before jumping into any of these online services, you should also consider trying to sell the device to someone you know. You may not get the same amount of money, but it could save you a lot of online hassles.

If you go with an online service to sell your computer, always make sure to compose a well-written description of the product with all the details of its condition to avoid misunderstandings.

When creating a listing, upload good quality photos that reflect the actual condition of the item, and don't forget to include pictures of the accessories and extras.

In addition, consider using a short headline that clearly describes the product. Whenever possible, offer free shipping, use proper packaging, and make sure to follow the shipping regulations in your region, especially when shipping devices with batteries.

Wrapping things up

Although there are some steps involved to prepare your old device for sale, it's not a complicated process. It just takes a little bit of time, which at the end will help you to prevent giving away your personal information, as well as possible hassles from whoever buys it from you.

If your laptop or desktop PC is running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7, remember that you can always upgrade your device to Windows 10 to increase the chances of a successful sale using a more capable OS.

And If you're selling a desktop PC or laptop with a CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive, don't forget to eject and remove any disc in the tray. Also, check the USB ports to make sure you're not leaving behind important files.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

How to choose the best router

Not sure where to start when it comes to shopping for a router?

Our connected reality means that the devices we use every day are becoming "smart" and joining our home networks. Whereas just a few years ago a home router commonly had just a phone, PC, and maybe a tablet connected, you'll often now find more connections than you can count on two hands. Streaming TV, making calls, dimming lights, and adjusting the temperature in your place is all handled over wireless internet, provided by a Wi-Fi router.

Why shop for a specific router?

Because of its important role in a connected home, choosing a proper router is becoming more important than ever before. Most internet service providers (ISP) will supply you with a wireless router — often coupled with a cable or DSL modem — and many people assume that it's as good as it gets. It connects your devices to the internet, so why worry?

In some cases, the router provided by your ISP will indeed serve you well and you'll be satisfied with what you have, especially if it's loaned to you as part of the subscription package. For years I lived in a small, open place that easily picked up my few devices with the single antenna, and when I needed to hit a top speed, I used an Ethernet cable. If, however, you're having to rent a router from your ISP, or if it's outdated compared to the devices you're using in your home, you can likely take advantage of an upgrade.

See the best Wi-Fi routers in 2018

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac standards

Wi-Fi is a global standard, and to ensure that devices can connect without issue, there are specifications that it must adhere to. That standard is known as 802.11, and the letters a, b, g, n, or ac following designate the version. The versions are all compatible with each other, but connecting to an earlier version means your device will be capped at the slower speed.

Wi-Fi has not stopped evolving, and AC is currently the latest version, though N-version devices and routers are still relevant and quite common. However, because of the progression, buying a new 802.11n router in most cases doesn't make as much sense as buying an AC router, especially because of how much they've dropped in price. New devices are going the way of AC, and it's smart to look to the future.

Single-band vs. dual-band

Wireless communication happens over frequency bands, which can be seen as roads that your data travel along. While routers up to and including 802.11g operated solely on the 2.4GHz band, support for a 5GHz band was added in 802.11n and carried over to 802.11ac (which operates on the 5GHz band). Why? The 2.4GHz band was becoming crowded, leading to a rush hour scenario where traffic was getting jammed up.

Devices that can use only the 2.4GHz band are called single-band devices, while dual-band devices can use the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Whereas the lower-frequency band has a lower speed limit and is more narrow, the 5GHz band is much wider and has a much higher speed limit.

There are drawbacks to the 5GHz band. Higher frequency means the signal loses more of its strength as it deals with walls, furniture, and other obstacles, though AC routers have something called beamforming that will send a signal in the direction of a device, rather than just spraying a signal in a sphere around it. Still, the increased speed and wider road mean it's perfect for streaming high-def video and gaming.

Simultaneous dual-band routers should be what you're looking for, as they offer both bands at once. Why limit yourself to just one?

Consider your internet's top speed

Within each Wi-Fi standard are further classifications that determine the actual performance you'll get. You might see a router advertised as AC1200 or N600, but that doesn't mean you're getting a top speed of 1200Mbps or 600Mbps. This number is a combination of speeds from both bands. For example, an AC1200 router is going to have a 2.4GHz band with a top speed of 300Mbps and a 5GHz band with a top speed of 867Mbps (rounded up to the nearest hundred).

Even these speeds are theoretical, and in real-world testing you likely won't get anywhere near that number. Likewise, if you see a router labeled with something like AC5000, it's not magically hitting 5000Mbps. Instead, you're getting a single 600Mbps 2.4GHz band and two 2166Mbps 5GHz bands.

So, stepping out and buying the biggest, baddest, most expensive router might be tempting, but paying for something you don't need will be more of a letdown. For example, if you're paying for a 50Mbps internet plan from your ISP and you live in a one-bedroom apartment, it doesn't make much sense to buy an AC5000 router with eight antennas. Your internet can only be as fast as the slowest point in the connection, which in this case is likely what's provided by your ISP.

Determine how much area you need to cover

Living in a large home can cause problems when it comes to serving Wi-Fi to all of your devices, especially when using the 5GHz band. For smaller apartments or homes, a single router with a strong set of antennas will no doubt get the job done, and it doesn't hurt to test things out before buying something too expensive. Reading reviews is a great way to get an idea of how much range a router has. You can also always check out Wi-Fi extenders that pick up a router's signal and rebroadcast it somewhere else in your home.

Best Wi-Fi Extenders for Improved In-Home Coverage

If you know you're going to have an issue covering a large space and don't want to buy a single, large router, you can always take a look at mesh Wi-Fi kits. These work in unison to deliver Wi-Fi to a large area, often covering thousands of square feet of indoor space.

Best Mesh Wi-Fi Router Kits of 2018

Count how many devices need to connect

If you're living alone and have but a few devices that would be connected at once — a console along with a phone, or a laptop along with a TV streaming device — you shouldn't have to worry about putting too much strain on your router. While you shouldn't ever hit a point where you can no longer connect devices (unless you're supplying internet for the entire block), the more connections you have at once will slow speeds.

If you have a router with a 2.4GHz band that can hit a theoretical max of 300Mbps and have 10 devices connected at once, each of those devices would only be getting an average of about 30Mbps. For anyone in a crowded home with multiple devices connected at once, a high-end, dual-band router is your best bet. If your family can't stop streaming Netflix, a tri-band router with two 5GHz bands is definitely something to consider.

On that note, pay attention to how many Ethernet ports a router has. Have lots of devices for which you want to provide a wired connection? Start counting. Likewise, check for USB ports if you're looking to add an external drive or other device to your home network.

Do you need MU-MIMO?

To complicate things even further, some new routers have something called multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output (MU-MIMO) tech baked right in. Whereas more traditional single-user, multiple-input, multiple-output (SU-MIMO) tech delivers data to one device at a time on a rotating basis, MU-MIMO allows for simultaneous data delivery.

SU-MIMO is fine for most purposes, and the rotating delivery happens so fast you usually won't notice. If, however, someone in the home is streaming video and you're trying to game online, MU-MIMO can come in handy by offering uninterrupted data flows to both devices.

Those devices must have MU-MIMO capabilities, and while that number is growing, your older stuff likely won't be able to benefit. Check out our guide to MU-MIMO for much more information.

What is MU-MIMO and why would you need it?

Consider software and security features

If you need to be in full control of everything that goes through your router, go for one with advanced firmware that includes a decent firewall and offers any additional features you may require, or supports the installation of third-party advanced firmware like DD-WRT that can offer those features.

If you are concerned about your children being exposed to inappropriate information on the internet, choosing a router with built-in parental controls can be useful. Some routers even let you allow and restrict internet access for your children based on time slots and offer guest access for your visitors so that you won't need to provide them with your primary Wi-Fi password.

TL;DR

Now that I've thrown all these terms and acronyms at you, I'll do a bit of a recap. An AC router is your best bet for a future-proof connection, though an N router can be had for dirt cheap and is likely suitable if you aren't paying for a high-speed connection from your ISP. If you are paying for a high-speed connection, ensure you're investing in a router that can handle it. You want to extend that speed to all your devices, whether with a dual-band or even tri-band router.

Consider how big of a space you need to cover, and plan accordingly. Some of the high-end routers can tackle a pretty impressive chunk of real estate, but you might need to invest in a range extender to hit that bottom corner of the basement. There are also mesh router kits that you might want to consider, which set out from the start to hit every nook and cranny.

If you are in a big space, you might have a lot of people trying to connect their devices simultaneously. If this is the case, investing in a router with two 5GHz bands isn't a bad idea, and going for something with a high speed might come in handy if you decide to upgrade your ISP internet package in the future. Likewise, a router with MU-MIMO is looking to the future.

Finally, choose a router with the proper customization options. If you want to tweak a lot of settings, ensure it makes them available to you. If you'd rather just plug it in and not worry about it, you'll probably have an easier time when shopping.