Windows 10 Archives - Page 20 of 54

Q&A: Why is everything on my computer screen maximized?

Posted on May 13, 2022

Question from Evelyn: I have an Acer desktop computer with Windows 10 Home edition on it.

Everything was working fine this morning but when I came back from lunch my web browser was in full screen mode (maximized).

I thought that was odd because everything was normal when I left for lunch.

I tried to click the little square icon in the top-right corner to take the browser out of full screen mode but I couldn’t click it. It’s like it ignored my clicks.

Anyway, I was able to minimize the browser but then I noticed something else really strange. None of my open apps were showing up on the taskbar.

I don’t know how things got so messed up, but I hate it. Do you have any idea what’s going on, and what I need to do to fix it? [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I turn on ‘Dark Mode’ in Windows 10?

Posted on March 20, 2022

Question from Karlie: I use my laptop late at night while hubby is trying to sleep, but sometimes the light from the screen keeps him awake.

A friend at work told me I could enable ‘Dark Mode’ on the laptop and it wouldn’t put out near as much light.

I’d love to give that a try. Can you tell me how to turn on Dark Mode on a laptop with Windows 10?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I use Windows’ unzipping tool or install 7-Zip?

Posted on March 10, 2022

Question from Carla: My boyfriend is currently working overseas and he sends me lots of photos in zipped folders.

On my old computer I used a program called 7-Zip to unzip those folders and extract the files.

I just bought a new Windows computer and I noticed that there’s an option to unzip folders on the right-click menu.

Is there an advantage to using 7-Zip instead of the Windows tool? [Read more…]

How to disable the ads on your Windows 10 Lock Screen

Posted on January 14, 2022

If your PC is running Windows 10 you might have noticed ads for apps and various other things on the Lock Screen.

Microsoft has started running these ads as a way of making a few extra bucks to help replace the millions of dollars they are forfeiting by making Windows 10 basically free.

I’ve spoken to lots of folks who don’t mind the ads or begrudge Microsoft trying to recoup some of their lost revenue, but I’ve also heard from plenty of others who find the ads annoying.

If you happen to dislike the Windows 10 Lock Screen ads, you can easily disable them. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Speed up Windows 10 (and make your laptop’s battery last longer)

Posted on November 24, 2021

Did you know Windows 10 has over a dozen apps that run in the background at all times?

Well, it does, and every one of those continuously running apps slows your system down just a bit and makes your laptop’s battery run down a little faster than it has to.

What’s more, you probably aren’t even using most of those apps!

Luckily, it’s very easy to prevent those unneeded apps from running in the background.

[Read more…]