- How to Fix the Most Annoying Things in Windows 10
- Stop Auto Reboots
- Prevent Sticky Keys
- Calm the UAC Down
- Delete Unused Apps
- Use a Local Account
- Use a PIN, Not a Password
- Skip the Password Login
- Refresh Instead of Reset
- Hide or Disable Cortana
- How to Get Windows 10 for Free (or Under $30)
- Upgrade From Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10: Free
- Downsides of Upgrading From Windows 7 or 8
- Don’t Activate Windows: Free
- Downsides of Not Activating Windows
- Use the Microsoft Student Discount: Free
- Downsides of Using the Microsoft Student Discount
- Buy a Cheap Windows 10 Key From a Third-Party Seller: Around $30
- Downsides of Cheap Keys
- Buy a Windows Key From Microsoft: $139+
- Downsides of Buying from Microsoft
- What’s the Best Way to Get Windows 10?
How to Fix the Most Annoying Things in Windows 10
Windows 10 is great, but it has its issues, from unpredictable reboots to aggravating notifications. Here’s how to fix some of the more irritating quirks with Microsoft’s latest operating system.
Windows 10 is probably the best edition of Microsoft’s venerable operating system. But Redmond has never made an entirely perfect OS. As much as we like Windows 10—and we really do like it a lot—it’s got problems. Just check the comments below to see how much our readers hate the tracking and lack of privacy. (For that, read How to Protect Your Privacy in Windows 10.)
Thankfully, many of the OS’s problems are easily corrected. Here are the steps you can take, so version 10 doesn’t drive you up the Windows wallpaper.
Stop Auto Reboots
Windows 10 updates are regular and seemingly never-ending, and pretty much out of the user’s control (unless you turn off updates altogether, which is a bad idea). What’s worse: if you don’t reboot your PC after an update, Windows 10 eventually takes it upon itself to reboot for you. That’s a good way to lose data in open apps.
Take advantage of a feature called Active Hours, which lets you schedule a time for updates and reboots. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change active hours. To select your own timeframe, click Change and choose a start and end time.
Starting with the May 2019 Update (version 1903), meanwhile, you can also opt to have Windows automatically adjust active hours based on your device’s activity. Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Change active hours and toggle on the option for Automatically adjust active hours for this device based on activity.
Prevent Sticky Keys
If you hit the Shift key five times in a row in Windows, you activate Sticky Keys, a Windows feature that allows for keyboard shortcuts where you hit one key at a time instead of simultaneously (so it works with any combo that includes the Shift, Ctrl, Alt, or Windows keys).
If you activate it without knowing—by hitting «yes» in a dialog box without thinking, for example—it can be seriously annoying. Prevent it from ever happening by hitting the Shift five times rapidly to bring up that very dialog box. Click the Disable this keyboard shortcut in Ease of Access Keyboard Settings and uncheck the box next to Turn on Sticky Keys when SHIFT is pressed five times.
Calm the UAC Down
Ever since Windows Vista, User Account Control (UAC) has been there to protect users so they can quickly grant administrative rights to software programs that need it—specifically when installing or uninstalling software. In the old days, when you went to do an install, the screen would suddenly dim and everything seemed to come to a halt, causing several (anecdotal, probably fictional) heart attacks amid the populace. UAC is still there in Windows and will still dim the desktop, but you have the option to turn it off, or at least prevent the screen dimming.
Type UAC into the Windows 10 search box to get Change User Account Control Settings. The screen presents a slider with four levels of security, from never notify (bad) to always notify (annoying—it’ll warn you when you make your own changes). Pick one of the middle options; the second from the bottom notifies you without the dimming scare tactic. With that option, you’ll still get a dialog box confirmation with a yes/no option when you install things.
Delete Unused Apps
Did you know you have a program in Windows 10 called Groove Music? Probably not, because the world uses other services. Thankfully, a few pre-installed Windows apps can finally be deleted. Navigate to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features, where you can ditch Mail and Calendar, Groove Music, Weather, and Maps.
If your uninstall option is grayed out, you could go the DOS route, but it gets a little complicated and you should be 100% sure of what you’re doing.
Type PowerShell in the Windows search box—when you see it, right-click and launch it via Run as Administrator.
Type in «Get-AppxPackage –AllUsers» without the quotes. A giant list of all the stuff you’ve got installed that came from Microsoft’s Store, plus some other stuff, will appear.
It’s hard to find those apps in there, but the last one will probably clearly read Microsoft.ZuneMusic—that’s actually Groove Music. Copy everything it says on the line next to PackageFullName.
You’ll then type in a command and paste that line, so it reads something like «remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.ZuneMusic10.16122.10271.0x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe» (yours will be different after the first underscore character).
Execute it with a stroke of the return key. If you don’t get any errors, the Groove Music app should be gone. Be careful using this on other apps—be sure you’ve picked the right one.
Use a Local Account
Microsoft really wants you to sign in to Windows 10 with your Microsoft account—the one attached to all things Microsoft, be it your Xbox, Office 365, or OneDrive account, buying apps or music or video in the Windows Store, even talking on Skype, to name just a few. When you set up Windows, Microsoft specifically asks you to sign in using that account.
But you don’t have to. During setup, just click Skip this step. If you already signed in with the Microsoft account, go to Settings > Accounts > Your info. Click Sign in with a local account instead. Enter a local account name and new password (with a hint for when you forget it).
The downside is that when you end up on a service or site that requires Microsoft credentials, you’ll have to enter your Microsoft login each time; it won’t automatically sign you in as it does if you log into Windows with a Microsoft account.
Use a PIN, Not a Password
If you’re okay using the Microsoft account, but hate how long it takes to type in your super secure password, reset it to a short personal identification number (PIN) used only on the PC. The PIN, which is only numerals—no mixed case letters or special characters—might not sound secure. But it’s PC-only, hopefully you’re the only user, and it doesn’t compromise the security of your Microsoft account anywhere else. Plus, the PIN can be as many digits as you desire.
Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options, and click the Add button under PIN. Enter the PIN you want and restart to try it. If you’ve already got a PIN, you’ll see options to change it, remove it, or click «I forgot my PIN» to recover it.
Skip the Password Login
Are you the only person who ever—and I mean ever—uses your PC? Then you can probably skip the password login screen that appears after every reboot or sometimes even when you come back from the screensaver.
Go to the User Accounts control panel by typing «netplwiz» in the search bar. Select the account, uncheck the box next to Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. You’ll get a confirmation box that asks you to enter that very password—twice. Click okay. Reboot the PC, and it should roll smoothly into the desktop without requesting a password. Don’t do this if it’s shared PC. Remember, you’ll still need to know the password if you’re logging into the PC remotely. (Or, you could use TeamViewer.)
Refresh Instead of Reset
Windows 10 has a fantastic feature that lets you essentially reinstall Windows 10 on your computer from the ground up, like new—with the option to not delete any of your data (though you will have to reinstall software and drivers). When your PC is beyond repair, you access it at Settings > Update & Security > Recovery. Click Get Started under Reset this PC, pick settings like «Keep My Files» or «Remove Everything,» and let it rip. You don’t need any separate media, like a copy of Windows 10 on a disc or USB flash drive.
However, that can be overkill. Sometimes, Windows just needs a reset that does not eradicate your software and drivers. This is also easy to do, but it does require a copy of Windows 10 on separate media. Don’t have the media? Get it here. Run it and install the included ISO file onto a 4GB or larger USB drive to use in the reset now and in the future. Or you can just mount it as a virtual drive in Windows 10.
Double-click the setup on that media/drive’s Setup option, ask to download updates and check Keep personal files and apps when it appears. After a few more prompts and waiting, your Windows 10 system will get the refresh it needs.
Hide or Disable Cortana
Master Chief would never let this happen. Windows 10 took out the switch to turn off Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Siri and Alexa. But Cortana searches more than your computer; it searches the entire internet. You can still turn her off, however.
First, there is the option to hide Cortana: just right-click the Taskbar and select Show Cortana Button. The Cortana halo ring disappears. She’s still active and easily accessible, however: tap the Windows key on your keyboard and start typing.
If you want to really take her out, so all searches are local, you need to edit the registry. Don’t do this if you’re not feeling like a Windows expert. Make a system restore point before you do it, just in case. This only applies to Windows 10 Home version.
Open the Registry Editor: Type +R, then type regedit and hit Enter. In Windows 10 Home, navigate to HKEYLOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search. If it’s not there, create it. Right-click it to create a DWORD value and call it AllowCortana. Set that value to 0 (zero). Once you sign out and come back, the search box will now read «Search Windows.» You can put Cortana back by doing all this again and setting the value to 1 (one).
If you have Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you can use the Group Policy Editor to turn her off, but for that, you should first check with your IT admin. Type Windows Key+R, type in gpedit.msc to bring up the Group Policy Editor, then navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Double-click on Allow Cortana, check the button next to Disabled. Close the window and restart Windows 10.
If you’re killing Cortana for privacy reasons, don’t forget to visit your Microsoft account online and delete everything Cortana collected about you. Under Cortana’s Notebook, click the Clear Cortana Data button.
How to Get Windows 10 for Free (or Under $30)
By Scharon Harding 16 April 2021
Get Windows 10 for free . or at least cheap.
You can spend thousands on components for building a PC, but it won’t boot without an operating system (OS). Linux is a viable option, but most prefer Windows because it runs all their favorite software, including the latest games. Fortunately, you can get Windows 10 for free or cheap, if you know where to look.
Getting hold of the Windows installer is as easy as visiting support.microsoft.com. Whether you’ve paid for Windows 10 already or not, anyone is allowed to download a Windows 10 ISO file and burn it to a DVD or create installation media on a USB drive for free. Once that’s done, you can boot from your installation media and load Windows 10 onto your PC. During installation, Microsoft asks for an activation key. You can skip it, but eventually, Windows will start alerting you that your install isn’t activated.
There are many ways to get a Windows 10 activation / product key, and they range in price from completely free to $309, depending on which flavor of Windows 10 you want. Of course, you can buy a key from Microsoft online, but there are other websites selling Windows 10 keys for less. There’s also the option of downloading Windows 10 without a key and never activating the OS. But what, if anything, are you missing out on if you don’t activate Windows 10? And does your carefully crafted PC build face any risks?
Below we outline the top ways you can get Windows 10 — from free, to cheap, to most expensive — and the downsides of each option.
Upgrade From Windows 7 or 8 | Don’t Activate Windows | Student Discount | Buy a Cheap Key From a Third Party | Buy a Key From Microsoft | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | Free | Free | Free (Windows 10 Education) | About $30 (£11, $40 AU) | Home: $139 (£119.99 / AU$225); Pro: $199.99 (£219.99 / AU$339); Workstation: $309 (£339 / AU$525) |
Pros | Access to all personalization options; Microsoft support access; Free | Free | Access to all personalization options; Microsoft support access; Equivalent to Windows 10 Enterprise; Free | Access to all personalization options; Microsoft support access | Access to all personalization options; Microsoft support access; Refunds |
Cons | There’s a small chance Microsoft will reject activation, and you’ll have to contact support | Desktop watermark; Personalization options restricted; Can’t use Microsoft support | You have to be enrolled in an eligible school | There’s a chance your key won’t work, and you’ll have to contact support to get it fixed; Some third parties have bad customer service; Some third parties don’t offer refunds | Expensive |
Upgrade From Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10: Free
Nothing’s cheaper than free. If you’re looking for Windows 10 Home, or even Windows 10 Pro, it’s possible to get Windows 10 for free onto your PC if you have Windows 7, which has reached EoL, or later. (Yes, this still works, as a Microsoft rep recently confirmed.)
If you already have a Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 a software/product key, you can upgrade to Windows 10 for free. You activate it by using the key from one of those older OSes. But note that you can only use a key on a single PC at a time, so if you use that key for a new PC build, any other PC running that key is out of luck.
To do this with a Windows 10-compatible PC (after backing up your important data, of course) download Windows 10. When asked, select «Upgrade this PC now.»
Note that if you’ve recently changed your PC’s hardware, such as the motherboard, Windows may not find the license for you device. That means you’ll have to reactive the OS. Here are Microsoft’s instructions for reactivating Windows 10 after changing PC hardware.
Downsides of Upgrading From Windows 7 or 8
When using an older Windows key to activate Windows 10, you may run into complications if Microsoft isn’t sure whether you’re eligible to update or not. In that case, you’ll have to call a number and go through the process of entering your key and getting a code. However, that seems to be happening less in recent months and years.
Don’t Activate Windows: Free
If you don’t have a valid key, you can still use Windows 10 for free on your PC even if you don’t activate the OS. I have colleagues who have used non-activated versions of Windows for years without Microsoft ever shutting it down. In this way, you can have Windows 10 Home or Pro running on your PC nearly flawlessly. Nearly.
Downsides of Not Activating Windows
“If the user [installs Windows 10] before activating Windows, they will see an ‘Activate Windows’ watermark on their desktop, as well an experience a limit on Windows 10 personalization options,” Microsoft told Tom’s Hardware in a statement.
Microsoft brands PCs running an unactivated version of Windows 10 with a watermark in the bottom-right corner of the screen. A Microsoft spokesperson told me that activating Windows 10 ensures you have a legitimate copy of Windows 10, and the watermark is an attempt to alert consumers that their version could be false. However, if you downloaded your ISO directly from Microsoft, there’s no way your copy can be a fake.
If you don’t activate Windows 10, you won’t be able to change Personalization options in the Settings menu. That means you can’t choose personal desktop wallpapers, slideshow backgrounds, Start, taskbar, Action Center or title bar colors, light or dark color schemes, font choices or lock screen options.
The lack of custom aesthetics can be a downer, especially if you like to liven things up by changing colors and images. However, we checked, and you can still change your wallpaper if you right-click an image from the web or a personal photo and set it as your wallpaper. And if you have a wallpaper tied to your Microsoft account, it will appear if you sign into Windows with that account.
Unsurprisingly, Microsoft won’t offer you any Windows 10 technical support if you don’t activate the OS. If you call or chat with their techs, they’ll start off by asking you for your key, and you’ll have no response.
Use the Microsoft Student Discount: Free
Microsoft offers students attending certain universities and high schools the ability to get Windows 10 for free by allowing them to activate Windows 10 Education for free. Meanwhile, teachers can get Windows 10 Education for $14.99. You can see if your school is eligible and download your free Windows 10 key here. The key is yours even after you graduate.
But is Windows 10 Education any different from Windows 10 Home? It’s actually better. Windows 10 Education is the same as Windows 10 Enterprise, which Microsoft calls the most robust version of Windows 10. The OS has features targeting security, device control and management and deployment that Windows 10 Home lacks. Unlike Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Education has client and host remote desktop and remote app i(nstead of client only), Hyper-V (Microsoft’s hypervisor) and extra apps, like AppLocker and BitLocker. Although, it’s likely you won’t ever use any of those bonus features.
If you’re not currently a student but happen to have a .edu email, we don’t recommend scamming the system. In addition to ethical concerns, if you get caught, Microsoft can make you pay up anyway. “False representations of eligibility voids this offer, and Microsoft reserves the right to collect the full price of product(s) ordered,” Microsoft’s policy states.
Downsides of Using the Microsoft Student Discount
If your school is eligible for the discount, there isn’t really a downside to this method of procuring Windows 10 free. Not all colleges / high schools have it, and you may need to make a special user account to download it. But if you can score Windows 10 Education for free, we don’t see any reason not to.
Buy a Cheap Windows 10 Key From a Third-Party Seller: Around $30
If you can’t stand living with the scarlet letter of an eternal watermark or want the comfort of knowing Microsoft won’t disown your PC’s OS should you call for help, you’ll have to buy a Windows 10 key. And while some turn to Microsoft for this purchase, there are third-party websites selling keys for much cheaper than Microsoft.
For example, at the time of writing, Kinguin sells Windows 10 Home for about $30, Amazon charges $129.99, and Newegg’s pushing it for $109.99. Even Walmart has it for $104.99, as well as a Pro OEM version. According to Wccftech, you can also buy Windows 10 from KeysOff, which is currently selling Windows 10 Home for $16.32 and Windows 10 Professional for $7.45.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. While we can’t vouch for all of them, websites selling lower-priced Windows keys are likely selling legitimate codes. One popular site, Kinguin, has 37 merchants worldwide selling Windows keys. Mark Jordan, Kinguin’s VP of communications, told me that their merchants acquire the codes from wholesalers who have surplus copies of Windows they don’t need.
«It’s not a gray market. It would be like buying Adidas or Puma or Nike from a discounter, from TJ Maxx,» Jordan said. «There are no legal issues with buying it from us. It’s just another marketplace.»
According to Jordan, Kinguin’s merchants have sold “several hundred thousand” keys and are not one-time sellers posting listings for codes they don’t want. As part of its fraud protection, a Kinguin employee randomly buys a key “every now and then” to make sure they’re legitimate, he said. Jordan added that it’s rare for a customer to get a key that’s been resold, but if they did, customer support would help them get a new one for free.
“If there’s ever a problem with a key being already activated or something like that, our customer support team helps you get a new key… And that merchant would be in deep trouble, so they are very careful with it,” Jordan said.
However, we’ve encountered reports of customer dissatisfaction, including from users who wanted a specific type of key (like non-OEM only), ended up with something different (like an OEM version) and could only get a refund, rather than the type of key they originally tried to buy. We’ve also heard reports of slow customer service. Kinguin hasn’t responded to requests for comment.
You’ll have to enter a key to activate Windows, but you won’t have a problem doing that if you bought your key from a place like Kinguin (or Amazon, Newegg, etc.). In fact, Microsoft still offers 24/7 technical support online and via phone even if you got your Windows 10 key from somewhere other than Microsoft.
If you do opt to get your key for less, make sure it’s from a legitimate site. A hint will be if that key is too cheap — i.e. free or close to free. And, as with anything else, if you haven’t heard of a seller, check their ratings or go elsewhere.
No matter where you get your product key, you shouldn’t download Windows 10 from anyone besides Microsoft. As noted on Microsoft’s website: “When buying Microsoft software as a digital download, we recommend that you avoid auction sites and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites. At the moment there are a limited number of sites where you can legally purchase digital downloads of Microsoft software.”
“Genuine Windows is published by Microsoft, properly licensed and supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. Non-genuine software results in a higher risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions,” Microsoft added in a statement to Tom’s Hardware.
Downsides of Cheap Keys
These non-Microsoft websites have varying return policies for software key purchases. While Kinguin seems to have an open return policy, we’ve seen reports of the service being too slow or the company insisting on replacing the key instead of refunding it or vice versa.
Amazon and Newegg both have no-refund policies for software keys. Amazon claims all keys sold on its site are genuine, and any gripes you have with your key must be handled by the individual vendors. If a key you bought from Newegg doesn’t work, you’ll have to contact Newegg’s product support team to get a new key.
Still, most, if not all, sites seem willing to accommodate you should you get a key that’s already been used or doesn’t work. Again, just make sure you’re buying your key from a legitimate source. For that reason we don’t recommend buying Windows 10 keys from individual sellers (or illegally).
This final downside is only applicable if you want to equip your PC with Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. While I was able to find Windows 10 Home on a number of genuine key-selling websites and Windows 10 Pro on some (although fewer) websites, I couldn’t find a place to download a key for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations anywhere besides Microsoft (Amazon sells it to ship for $293.83). The most advanced and pricey ($309) member of the Windows 10 clan, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations offers “support for the next generation of PC hardware, up to four CPUs and 6TB of memory,” according to Microsoft’s website. But it’s unlikely you’ll need the juggernaut of Windows 10 for your personal machine.
Buy a Windows Key From Microsoft: $139+
Want a version of Windows 10 where you can enjoy dynamic slideshows on your home screen and vibrant red, green, pink, or purple taskbars? Do you enjoy the thrills of a watermark-free screen and the comfort of knowing you can call Microsoft support if you have any problems? Then you need a key, which, as discussed, you can get from various retailers. But if you want to avoid any chance of getting an unusable key or want the guaranteed ability to get a full refund even if there’s no problem with the key, your best bet is buying from Microsoft.
In addition to selling keys for Windows 10 Home and Pro, Microsoft is the only place you can get a key for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. Additionally, Microsoft offers the Assure Software Support Plan for an extra $99 (£95/ AU$120). This plan is valid for a year after activating Windows 10. It’s applicable for up to five devices and entitles you to online and phone support and one-on-one in-store training. One caveat: Microsoft says the plan is “for purchase and activation only in the region in which it was acquired.”
Downsides of Buying from Microsoft
Microsoft charges the most for Windows 10 keys. Windows 10 Home goes for $139 (£119.99 / AU$225), while Pro is $199.99 (£219.99 /AU$339). Despite these high prices, you’re still getting the same OS as if you bought it from somewhere cheaper, and it’s still only usable for one PC.
Plus, the premium price doesn’t entitle you to any support perks. Microsoft’s 24/7 basic phone and online support is available to anyone with a Windows 10 key, even those who didn’t get it from Microsoft. After already investing time and money building a PC , it can be difficult to convince yourself to spend over $100 for an OS that you can get with the same specs and support for cheaper.
What’s the Best Way to Get Windows 10?
If you have an old Windows key you can get Windows 10 free by carrying that key over from a previous build — that’s your best option.
If you don’t have a key on hand, you need to decide whether you’re comfortable using an unactivated version of Windows 10, which limits your customization options, has an ugly watermark and leaves you ineligible for Microsoft support. Many would argue that downloading Windows without paying for or already owning a product key is ethically wrong. That said, Microsoft has made this process easier over various Windows iterations and lessened the limitations and nagging that happens when you don’t activate. The company isn’t trying to close this loophole, probably because it’s more interested in driving user numbers. I’ve even seen well-known vendors and Microsoft partners do press presentations with watermarks on their desktop.
If you must buy a Windows 10 key, you can save a lot with a low-cost seller such as Kinguin, although customer service will likely be lacking and isn’t the best option if you only want a very specific type of Windows 10. Still, Microsoft’s price is astronomically high. You can save $100 or more by buying a key from one of these third-party sites, which is money you can spend on one of the best graphics cards, a roomier SSD, or a few AAA games for your new PC.