SOME BASIC BITS & PIECES November 2016

WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY? We are going to explore some basic features & functions – with special emphasis on Windows 10 Things that you may have forgotten or never knew Things that can make your life easier Things that can help you fix some problems where you might otherwise need to wait for Home Help to arrive – not always convenient

WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY? [2] This session is not going to be all encompassing It tries to avoid unnecessary “tech talk” It is designed to look at some every day matters that will make “using” a computer easier and more satisfying Hopefully it will, for some things, make you more self sufficient Some things we will discuss may seem obvious BUT are they? In many cases they will only be the tip of the iceberg but hopefully they will encourage you to explore Do use a little care in what you choose to try!

WHERE DO WE START? So you switched on, your computer booted up & this appeared This is the Desktop and Taskbar This assumes you are NOT using the METRO START style

KEEP IT CLEAN! The Desktop and Taskbar have four functions: To provide shortcuts for launching Apps that you have chosen as being needed “often” To show any Apps that have been launched from any other source To provide prompts & messages from certain functions To provide access to the Start & Power Menus Your first priority should be to clean up the Desktop, the Taskbar & the Start Menu by: Removing anything you don’t want Adding the things you do want

Introducing the right click

REMOVE UNWANTED ITEMS FROM DESKTOP & TASKBAR BY RIGHT CLICKING THE ICONS HOVER THE MOUSE OVER AN ICON FOR A DESCRIPTION THESE ARE ONLY SHORTCUTS – YOU ARE NOT LOSING THE APPS!

REMOVE UNWANTED ITEMS FROM THE START MENU BY RIGHT CLICKING THE ICONS Click Start button – scroll down if necessary to see all the “Tiles” RIGHT click an unwanted Tile Click “Unpin from Start” You are only removing a shortcut – not the App itself

ADDING THE APPS YOU WANT Decide on your personal preference as to how you want to launch apps Suggestion: “Everyday” apps on the Taskbar - “Often” ones on the Desktop – “Occasional” on the Start Menu To find your apps click Start Button then scroll through the [alphabetical] list Note the down arrow beside some entries – may need to expand to see what you want

ADDING THE APPS YOU WANT [2] TO THE DESKTOP In “All Apps” simply “drag and drop” the icon to the Desktop TO THE TASKBAR OR START MENU RIGHT click the icon and you can “pin” the App to the Start Menu Click “More” and you can “pin” the App to the Taskbar

USING THE TASKBAR Now that the Taskbar contains what you want you can re-arrange the order – simply “drag and drop” the icons to the position you want them You can make the Taskbar taller [about twice the size] but unfortunately you can only make the icons smaller [needs better eyesight than most of us have!] not larger. This is really only useful for people who need many items on the Taskbar. How to do this is NOT explained here There are some Taskbar settings that you may want to change – how to find them will be described later – but these are our suggestions:

USING THE TASKBAR [2]

USING THE TASKBAR [3] Apps are launched by clicking the desired icon – they change appearance for Apps that have been launched and are running: Apps launched from another place appear on the Taskbar while running & disappear when the App is closed

USING THE TASKBAR [4] It is not necessary to close one App before launching another – this makes it possible to copy & paste between different Apps The Taskbar also is used for moving between different files open at the same time in the same App – if there is room on the Taskbar they will show separately – allowing working between files: As the Taskbar fills up the icons show less detail – simply hover over one of them to see a “mini” version you can select:

USING the desktop Apps can be launched from the Desktop by double clicking the icon If you have trouble using the double click, an alternative is to RIGHT click the icon and the clicking “Open”

USING the desktop [2] Apps opened from the Desktop appear on the Taskbar: Work with them there in the same way as if launched from the Taskbar itself

ORGANIZING THE DESKTOP You can organize the Desktop in the order that you prefer You can simply “drag & drop” icons where you want them Alternatively you can define how you want the Desktop to look – RIGHT click any “blank” area of the Desktop to find two set-up options These include the option to change the size of icons – handy for anyone who has difficulty with the size of the Taskbar

ORGANIZING THE DESKTOP [2]

ORGANIZING THE START MENU Start Menu Tiles can be organized by size and position RIGHT click on a Tile and you see this: Different Tiles have different size options “Drag & Drop” your chosen tiles to the positions that suit YOU

SO NOW EVERYTHING'S WORKING Your computer is set up the way you want, your chosen Apps are installed and working great – so no worries? Unfortunately things don’t always stay that way! One of the simplest ways to deal with some problems is a “RESTORE POINT”

WHAT IS A RESTORE POINT? In simplistic terms it means a “picture” of your computer’s set up as at a specific point in time has been saved If necessary you can “roll back” your system to that exact set up as it was IMMEDIATELY before the point was created Rolling back does NOT touch any work [Files] YOU have created after the date of the restore point Restore points are automatically created from time to time by Windows but you can create them SO ONCE YOUR COMPUTER IS WORKING JUST RIGHT – CREATE A RESTORE POINT!

Creating A RESTORE POINT RIGHT click the Start button then click “Control Panel” Click “Recovery” in Control Panel

Creating A RESTORE POINT [2]

Creating A RESTORE POINT [3]

Creating A RESTORE POINT [4]

Using A RESTORE POINT

Using A RESTORE POINT [2]

Using A RESTORE POINT [3] IMPORTANT NOTE: At the point that you turned on “protection” a certain amount of disk space was allocated. This means that over time, older points are deleted. You may wish to increase the size. Also – check from time to time if your point is still there! If not, create it again. If you install a new App – once you have satisfied yourself it’s OK – create a new point! Using your self-created restore point may be a “last resort” You should first look at any points that have been automatically created The date of a new point MAY coincide with the start of the problem you are encountering If so, restoring that point may correct the problem – this avoids a waste of time if many updates have happened since your personal restore point was created If there are several recent points you can try them in reverse date order If all else fails – go back to your personal point!

HIDDEN TREASURE! Windows loaded a lot of stuff : Itself Services and Utilities – things it needs and things you might want Stuff you asked for Some of this is in plain sight BUT there is much that is hidden: Some is “behind the scenes” Some is hidden in full view

NEVER FORGET THE “RIGHT CLICK” RIGHT clicking the mouse can reveal all sorts of useful things In this case [PowerPoint] right clicking on a given slide in the quick access pane gives a drop down menu

PRINTER PROBLEMS?

ON THE DESKTOP

IN FILE EXPLORER

THE RIBBON IN OFFICE PROGRAMS

AND – OF COURSE – THE START BUTTON

And many more EXPLORE - EXPLORE – EXPLORE! USE A LITTLE CARE – FIND THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT BUT REMEMBER THAT SOME DO MAKE CHANGES – NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU INTENDED! Be aware that some of these hidden items may actually have a different content depending on what is happening in the computer at that time

Hidden in full view In many Apps there are options that are in full view but they are not always immediately obvious The Ribbon in “Office” programs is a good example – this illustration been enhanced to show more clearly things that are not as as easy to see in practice:

Hidden in full view [2] In newer versions of “Office” the clip board can hold several items These are available to Paste at any time Notice that the items also have a hidden menu!

THE NOTIFICATIONS AREA Where is it? Why is important? How do you change it? Note the “up” arrow – there may be more icons than space on the Taskbar

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Certain important – or indeed critical – messages can appear here It is not unknown for critical apps – Windows Defender, Malwarebytes – to fail to start. Always check here IMMEDIATELY after booting Provides the proper – and in Windows 10 the vital – way to remove any USB device An easy way to adjust speaker volume A quick check that you have connected to the Internet

HOW DO I CHANGE IT? CLICK HERE THEN CLICK HERE

NEXT CLICK HERE THEN CLICK HERE

NEXT [2] SCROLL DOWN UNTIL YOU SEE THIS: DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU WANT SO SEE YOU MAY NEED TO CHANGE BOTH SETTINGS SHOWN BY THE RED ARROWS

NEXT [3]

DON’T SEE WHAT YOU EXPECTED? A lot of apps like Malwarebytes will, during installation, automatically ensure that they are started as Windows loads BUT might have got turned off! Others – Skype for example – ask during the installation OR when you are setting up options for that specific App – if you want the App to start automatically. If you did not do so then you will not see it listed When you start the App manually, it’s icon will appear in the notification area but will be removed when the App is closed

AVOID USB PROBLEMS! There is a proper way to disconnect USB devices from your computer. In theory we should always have been using it but in practice it has never really been a problem UNTIL WINDOWS 10! Incorrectly removing a USB device can: Trigger an error message urging you to re-format a drive with subsequent data loss Switch off all USB ports not in use so they become unusable. They should switch back on when you re-connect BUT they don’t! This is not permanent BUT you have to go through a tedious process to get them working again Not all devices cause the problem – USB Mice [some at least] seem to be OK – BUT WHY TAKE A CHANCE?

THE PROPER WAY: Click the “Safely remove hardware and eject media” icon – remember that you may have to use the up arrow to see it Click the device you want to remove – remember that there may be more than one. Note that in this example a USB Mouse is not shown although one is present

THE PROPER WAY: [2] If it is safe to do so you will see this message: You may get a message saying the device is in use and you need to close any programs that are using it You will have to work out which they are and close them

MORE THAN ONE PRINTER? If you have more than one printer you may find the “default” printer – the one that will be used unless you say otherwise - keeps changing This is the result of a Windows 10 setting – one that is probably intended for a business environment where multiple printers are common You can prevent this happening as we will see in a moment but after you have done so you will need to check to see if the default is the one you want – check the illustration under “right click” previously shown

HOW TO FIX IT Go to settings as previously described and click Devices Click “Printers & Scanners” then scroll down until you see this setting – may sure it is set to “Off”

SOMETHING NOT WORKING? Windows 10 can fix a number of problems through a built in “trouble shooting” capability RIGHT click the Start Button then click Control Panel Scroll down to and click “Troubleshooting” It won’t fix everything but you’ll be surprised how much you can clean up without calling Home Help Even if it does not work you will often get a message that will be useful information for the Home Help Coordinator Also has a number of routine tasks that will help keep things running smoothly

SOMETHING NOT WORKING? [2]

TROUBLE SHOOTING

TROUBLE SHOOTING [2] Whatever you try - read the messages carefully You will often see something like “apply this fix”. It means that something has been detected although it may not be the total cause BUT it may help Write down whatever message comes up IF the problem is not solved – it will be useful for whoever has to help you!

LET’S TALK ABOUT SETTINGS

LET’S TALK ABOUT SETTINGS [2] Each “group” of settings will display a menu on the left hand side and you click any item on it to see the options available

LET’S TALK ABOUT SETTINGS [3] To discuss all the available settings would take several meetings If something is not just how you would like it – take a few minutes to EXPLORE – there may be some options available RULES TO LIVE BY: If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it! If you don’t understand it - leave it the way it is! If you decide to try something – make a note of WHERE & WHAT – then it will usually be simple to reverse it!

WHAT ABOUT THE CONTROL PANEL?

WHAT ABOUT THE CONTROL PANEL? [2] There is some duplication between the Control Panel & Settings EXPLORE – But use the same RULES as for Settings! There are some things we should check out!

BACKUP – BACKUP - BACKUP

BACKUP – BACKUP – BACKUP [2]

BACKUP – BACKUP – BACKUP [3]

BACKUP – BACKUP – BACKUP [4]

BACKUP – BACKUP – BACKUP [5] At this point you MUST “save settings” which will then cause your first backup to be made This will take some time but you can still use the computer Subsequent backups will take less time as only things that have changed will be added

MOUSE Customize your Mouse – especially useful for those who have trouble double clicking or for “lefties”

MOUSE [2] NEED TO EXPERIMENT WITH POINTER SETTINGS

MOUSE [3] BEFORE YOU CHANGE ANY MOUSE SETTINGS – MAKE A NOTE OF WHAT WAS THERE ALREADY!

Sometimes you need to take care! Found under Control Panel, the “System” choice has useful information “Remote Assistance” may be needed by a remote location working your computer to solve problems e.g. Microsoft NEVER allow this unless YOU initiated the contact – it gives 100% access to your computer - you will be talked through it If you do need to allow it – afterwards CHECK that it has been switched off